Family history has been upgraded. Genealogy today is more about searching for digitized archives on your home computer than looking up dusty old documents in far flung record offices. Census records, registration indexes, church registers and newspaper archives are but some of the many sources available online – for those who know how to use the internet. Computer novices may find themselves at a disadvantage, unable to access information because they are unsure which sites to use or how to search for certain records, which is why Peter Christian's guide to family history online is now practicably indispensable! Into its fifth edition, because the web changes so rapidly, The Genealogist's Internet provides a comprehensive approach to getting the most out of online research. Covering the basics on free and subscription sites, with links to more in‐depth material, both beginners and practiced historians should find Christian's guide informative and useful.
“I want to start my family tree” is an enquiry often heard in local studies libraries, especially in response to popular television programmes like Who Do You Think You Are?, and today the process has never been easier. Most libraries now have a subscription to at least one of the main genealogy websites, so all that budding researchers require is the key to unlocking the past, usually in the form of family records dating back to the 1911 census. Peter Christian is keen to stress that this is not a general introduction to family history, however, and provides a book list of “offline” genealogy guides for complete beginners. What The Genealogist's Internet does instead is to help demystify the plethora of sites and software which hold all the answers. This edition contains around 1,700 web resources, with expanded coverage of some of the latest records now online (plus necessary pruning of “dead links”!). In the last ten years, family historians have gone from having to manually look up census records and registration indexes on microfilm to finding digital copies of primary sources online at the click of a mouse – an incredible advancement that is still growing. More and more people around the world are now able to look into the past from the comfort of home, but genealogy is still an individual and time‐consuming project.
Despite referring most frequently to obvious sources like The National Archives and Family Search, the comprehensive coverage of key genealogical information in Peter Christian's guide is very impressive (and I thought I knew it all!). Not only does he list where to find records, and where to ask for help when at a loss, but the “nuts and bolts” of using the Internet are also explained. The process of digitisation is described, including the resultant transcription errors that can interfere with research, and common problems with image formats and downloading information are helpfully included. Subscription and pay per view prices for the main websites are also compared, for new researchers wishing to invest in this addictive and expensive hobby! Genealogy topics from the basics (births, deaths and marriages, censuses, etc.) to wills, criminal records, passenger lists and pedigrees are included, plus background material for building a bigger picture of how our ancestors lived, including newspapers, directories, gazetteers, workhouse records, and photograph collections. English, Irish, Scottish and international sources are covered, plus the “social community” available via Facebook and discussion groups. Family historians who have exhausted every branch of the family tree might then be interested in the section on publishing the results online.
There really is something for everyone in The Genealogist's Internet, whether starting out or filling in the blanks. Peter Christian has compiled a useful and accessible selection of key sites and clear advice which requires little previous technical knowledge of either genealogy or the Internet. Some of the information in this edition will already be out of date, such is the ever changing nature of the Internet, so any potential genealogists should strike while the iron is hot (or wait for the next edition!). In the words of the author, “You can still research your family tree without using the internet – but why would you chose to?”
