Exploring the GenWeb sites

Last week I mentioned searching the GaGenWeb site for information on Baldwin County and it dawned on me that some of you who are new to computers and the Internet might like to know more about this online genealogy resource.

What I have discovered in the few months I've been doing this column is that there is a whole bunch of people out there who have been doing genealogy for years and years. And it seems that most of these folks, while skilled at research, know little about maneuvering around the net on their computers. Many have only had their computers for a few months.

I often hear comments like, "I can send mail and put information into my genealogy program, but the rest of the computer stuff is a mystery." If this is the case with you, then you are missing out on a lot of information and contact with other people.

Think of the GenWeb sites as mini-history books online. They are hosted by Rootsweb, and there is a site for just about every state, and every county within those states, with information just waiting for you to read and absorb.

This column was prompted by an e-mail from Linda Blum-Barton, the coordinator for the Fayette County GenWeb page, who wanted to put a "link" to our paper on the Web page. Of course that flattered me to no end and, after checking with Cal, I wrote her back and said we would love to have our link on her page.

Okay, what is the GenWeb and how do you find it? Let's just take Georgia as a for-instance because that's mostly the topic I'm dealing with. The Genweb site for Georgia is called the GeorgiaGenWeb (naturally), but there is also an AlabamaGenWeb, a TennesseeGenWeb, and so on. They are sites for genealogy research within the specified area.

To get there, you have to go online through whatever ISP (internet service provider) you use (Mindspring, AOL, BellSouth, etc.) and once online go to your Internet connection and type in http://www.rootsweb.com/~gagenweb/ to get to the Web site for Georgia. I use AOL and you don't have to type the "http" part.

Also notice that between the "com/" and "~gagenweb" there is a squiggly thing called a "tilde." That is not a regular dash and the address won't work unless you use the squiggly thing. Look on your keyboard to find it. Mine is to the left of the numeral "one."

Now, once you've gone to the Web, the Georgia page will come up on your screen, beautifully decorated with a brown thrasher (state bird) in a nest and Cherokee roses (state flower) blooming. There is a link that says "Georgia Beginnings," a mini-history lesson, and many other links to explore, but we'll just deal with the counties for now.

By the way, a link is one of those underlined text do-hickeys that you click on to get somewhere else. Don't be embarrassed if you didn't know that. I didn't know either until a couple of years ago.

Scroll down to "GA Counties" and underneath that you'll see an underlined link that says "Table." Click on that word and it will take you to the page that lists all the counties, when they were formed and from what (Indian lands, other counties, etc.) and who the county coordinator is. If you click on the person's name, it will automatically open a blank e-mail and you can write if you have questions.

Some people coordinate several counties. You may also see a big graphic out to the side saying "Adopt Me!" This means the county coordinator is ready to hand the reins over to some other poor, unsuspecting soul. Maintaining a site is a job, folks, and we owe a lot to these people. If you click on the county name, (Fayette, Campbell, Carroll, etc.) it will take you to the page for that individual county.

Each of these pages is different and has different amounts of information. What is included is pretty much decided by the county coordinator and how much time he or she is willing to put into the project. On these pages you will find links to all sorts of information ranging from Civil War rosters to censuses to cemeteries to Bibles, wills, bios and deed information, church histories and minutes ... and queries.

A "query" is a message telling about your family and asking for help in finding more information. Some pages have family surnames listed and you can check and see if anyone is researching a family with your surname in that particular county. The Gwinnett County page even has family trees of people who were in the Gwinnett County area.

Now, start clicking away and explore the site! The pages are updated constantly so, if you visited two days ago, things may have changed by today. It helps to go back often. You can contribute to these pages too. In fact, the county coordinators depend on you to contribute your family or county information. Write to the coordinator and ask how you can help.

One more goodie for you. Last night I was exploring the Carroll County page and came across a link I'd never seen before. It was called "Migrations," and it is a marvelous site. People have contributed family information on their ancestors and the migration patterns they followed. I left information on my great-grandfather and will probably go back and do more. If you'd like to explore it, go to this address: http://www.migrations.org/index.html.

Thanks to all of you for your letters and e-mails. Last week I heard from Norma Gunby over in Coweta County, who told me of some resource locations, and Martha and Grady Stone, who were looking for Boyds in Georgia and Alabama. More about them next week. I hope I've given you some helpful tips this week.

I would love to write about your south side ancestors. Send mail to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com. Until next week, happy hunting!