GENEALOGY is a growth industry but often people can’t see the forest for their family trees.
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With the plethora of records online now, it’s easy to drive up a one-way street backwards or come to a complete roadblock.
Wodonga Family History Society program coordinator Janette Griggs said genealogy was big business today.
She said more materials were available now than ever before but it was critical to verify sources.
“Not everything is on the internet either, where you can run up so many wrong lanes and streets,” she said.
“Everything published on the internet is not always correct.”
Ms Griggs has just returned from The Australasian Congress 2018 on Genealogy and Heraldry in Sydney, which was hosted by the Australasian Federation of Family History Organisations.
She said the key topic was bridging the past and the future.
“The underlying theme was that even though we’ve got lots of records on the internet and more things digitally indexed than ever before there are still three key things to keep in mind,” she said.
“We have to do our research; follow the clues; and prove it.
“You’ve got to buy a certificate or read a book that’s been researched and verified.
“Even for well-seasoned genealogists, they have to research, follow up and prove.
“That’s what family history libraries and archives allow us to do.”
Wodonga Family History Society secretary Wendy Cooksey said the internet provided little context on family history research.
“It’s an excellent tool but you’ve got to be cynical,” she said.
“Aside from that, it’s said that just 5 per cent of the world’s records are on the internet.”
Ms Cooksey said she had been researching her family history since the 1970s.
She said she had about 1800 verified entries on her family tree.
“There is someone in Perth who claims to have 20,000 on his family tree!” Ms Cooksey said
“What worries me is when someone says they’ve finished doing their family tree in three months.”