Genealogy.com: A Century of Genealogy by Kathleen W. Hinckley, CGRS


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A Century of Genealogy
by Kathleen W. Hinckley, CGRS

At the beginning of the 20th century, genealogy was receiving attention and popularity as a hobby. Families wanted to prove their blood lines and join hereditary societies, and thousands of family histories were being published. The interest was rekindled in the late 1970s with the American bicentennial and Alex Haley's Roots television series.

As the 21st century approaches, we are again experiencing a surge of interest in tracing family trees. Aging baby boomers, the largest segment of the U.S. population, are eager to research their ancestry. The genealogical Web sites on the Internet are introducing genealogy to persons of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. And for the first time, corporate America is recognizing the potential of marketing specifically to genealogists and is investing in genealogy products and services.

The following timeline of major genealogical events illustrates the rapid growth of genealogy in the 20th century. Most hereditary societies were established in the late 19th century or early 20th century. The majority of national genealogical organizations were founded between 1964-1980 and a couple more in the 1990s. Development of genealogical software started in the late 1970s, the same time that genealogical reference books were being written and published in larger numbers. Educational opportunities began in 1950 with the National Institute on Genealogical Research, followed in 1964 with Samford's Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research. The first national conference was held in 1981 — the beginning of the flood of local, state and national seminars and conferences.

December 15, 1999

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•	U.S. Organizations

1876	The New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts was founded. They are now the oldest and largest genealogical society.
1881	Sons of Revolutionary Sires was founded in 1876 during the centennial of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In 1889, on the 100th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington, the National Society of the Sons of the Revolution was organized.
1890	Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War was founded.
1891	The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded. In 1896 the Daughters of the American Revolution Library was established for staff DAR genealogists.
1894	The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1897	United Daughters of the Confederacy was organized.
1912	General Society of Mayflower Descendants was founded.
1915	National Genealogical Society, Washington, D.C. was founded and they began publishing The National Genealogical Society Quarterly.
1945	National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century was founded.
1947	The American Society of Genealogists was created as an honorary organization limited to fifty scholars in the genealogical field.
1950	Everton published the first edition of the Handy Book; now in its ninth edition, and their magazine, Genealogical Helper was established.
1962	The National Institute on Genealogical Research was founded. Their educational program focuses on federal records of genealogical value located primarily in the Washington, D.C. area.
1962	Annual Index to Genealogy Periodicals begun.
1964	Board for Certification of Genealogists founded.
1964	Accreditation program begun by the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.
1964	Samford Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research founded at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama. The Board for Certification co-sponsors the Institute which offers seven courses ranging from beginning to more specialized topics.
1976	Federation of Genealogical Societies was founded.
1979	Association of Professional Genealogists was founded by nineteen professional genealogists. Their membership today is nearly 1,200 worldwide.
1979	A genealogy software program, Genealogy: Compiling Roots and Branches, by John J. Armstrong was advertised in the September issue of Personal Computing Magazine. The program sold for $250 and the source code was printed in the magazine. You typed the code into your computer, which was a common way of publishing software in the early days. It was written in Microsoft BASIC for the TRS-80 by Radio Shack.
1980	Cite Your Sources: A Manual for Documenting Family Histories and Genealogical Records was published.
1981	First national genealogical conference sponsored by the National Genealogical Society was held in Atlanta, Georgia.
1981	Genealogical Computing Magazine started publication.
1983	Fund drive originally known as Genealogical Coordinating Committee NARA Gift Fund and now known as Dollars for Documents was established. The gift fund's purpose is to create finding aids and microfilm significant research materials at the National Archives.
1983	Ancestry founded; now known as Ancestry.com.
1984	The first edition of The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy published by Ancestry, Inc. (Revised in 1996)
1984	PAF Version 1 released. It was written in BASIC for the IBM PC (also Microsoft) and did not include GEDCOM. Commsoft's Roots II came out in May of 1984 for the IBM PC.
1986	PAF 2.0 released, the first genealogy program to include GEDCOM exchange.
1986	The National Genealogical Society founded the Genealogy Hall of Fame.
1987	The Council of Genealogical Columnists was founded.
1988	PERsi (Periodical Source Index) published.
1988	Social Security Death Index becomes public record.
1989	Family Tree Maker genealogy software first introduced by Banner Blue.
1992	Genealogical Speakers Guild was founded.
1992	Federation of Eastern European Family History Societies (FEEFHS) was founded.
1993	Genealogical Institute of Mid-America founded. GIMA is a four-day program of intensive study at the University of Illinois, Springfield.
1994	Banner Blue Software (creator of Family Tree Maker software in 1989) acquired Automated Archives, Inc., who developed CDs containing genealogical records.
1995	Broderbund Software, Inc. acquired Banner Blue Software.
1996	Revised edition of The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy published by Ancestry, Inc.
1996	Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy founded a week-long seminar that offers students hands-on learning experience at the Family History Library.
1996	Cyndi's List established on the Internet.
1997	Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian by Elizabeth Shown Mills (Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, Maryland) published.
1997	PBS Ancestors television series aired nationwide.
1998	Broderbund Software, Inc., purchased by the Learning Company.
1999	The Learning Company purchased by Mattel, Inc. A few months later, A&E Television Networks, Hearst Interactive Media, Mattel, Inc. (NYSE: MAT), Thomas H. Lee Partners and Weston Presidio Capital formed Genealogy.com, LLC, formerly the Broderbund genealogy unit of Mattel.
1999	The cover story in the April 19, 1999 issue of Time Magazine is Roots Mania.

If a genealogist researching in 1900 were able to time travel to the year 2000, the volume of research tools, education, and technology would be overwhelming. But if you were to put a 1900 and 2000 genealogist side-by-side to research their family, the odds are good that they would share similar research strategies.

Genealogy has changed; but yet it has not. Yes...we will have more indexes and digital images of original records; and there will be more mergers and involvement by big business. But regardless of time period, genealogists will always continue to seek out records hidden in courthouse attics and basements. They will debate the accuracy of published genealogies and encourage the integration of genealogy into schools and universities. Families will know more about their ancestors and cousins and be proud of their contribution to history.

Genealogists will always continue to seek out records hidden in courthouse attics and basements.

Your contribution TODAY as a genealogist is important to the future of genealogy. Cite your sources, be accurate in your transcriptions, and share the results with your family. What better legacy could you leave your descendants?

(A special thank you to Birdie and Russ Holsclaw for their research into the development of genealogy software.)

About the Author

Kathleen W. Hinckley, CGRS, is a professional genealogist and private investigator who specializes in locating living persons by using the Internet, public records, and genealogical sources. She is the Executive Secretary for the Association of Professional Genealogists and lectures at state, regional, and national conferences. You can reach her at hinckleyk@mindspring.com or through her web site Family Detective.

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