If the online company’s agreement with these archives someday changes, those records may no longer be available for users to view. If you stop subscribing to a website and you have not downloaded a copy of your tree’s records to your computer or hard drive, you will no longer have access to them.Īlso, many of the records available online were digitized in partnership with local and national archives, who retain ownership of the original material. When you “save” a record to your tree, you are not really saving a copy of that record- you are simply linking that record to a “fact” on your tree. Although the user is allowed control of the trees they create- the ability to restrict access, edit and delete trees, for example- the data contained within ultimately belongs to that company. Remember, not everyone provides Wi-Fi access, and even if they do, the connection can be spotty.īelieve it or not, you do not own your online tree or the data contained within it- the company hosting the website does. That can sometimes be tricky in certain types of repositories- for example, an old historic museum or library. However, there are some major downsides to maintaining your family information on the internet. First, while the World Wide Web is a modern miracle that gives you the world at your fingertips- you need an internet connection in order to access it. They can be accessed anywhere, from any device- when visiting Grandma or great-uncle Earl, you can quickly pull up the family tree on your phone, tablet, or laptop to share your latest discoveries.Īdditionally, online trees can be invaluable when investigating DNA matches- attaching a family tree to DNA results helps you make connections with cousin matches, confirm shared ancestors, and discover new records. Genealogy websites make it easy to edit your tree, search for records, and attach them to people, all in one place. Online family trees do have several benefits. Honorable Mentions Online family tree software We much prefer RootsMagic for desktop software and is half the price.
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