I started filling in pedigree charts and family group sheets when I was about twelve years old, a long time before the internet. My first fumbling attempts at research consisted of sending letter after letter to various archives and churches in England and including a self addressed envelope and International Reply Coupons and then hoping for a response. I made very slow progress and then time went on and my research was laid aside while I raised my two children, went back to school and started my career.
When I finally dusted off my family tree and decided to begin researching again, genealogy on the internet was in it’s infancy and Cyndi’s List was my go-to place to find new websites and sources for my family research. I returned over and over to her website as my research progressed and I needed to find new records and new places. It was with dismay that I read Dick Eastman’s article about someone who has copied Cyndi’s website and was offering the information for-profit. Other bloggers have mentioned the situation as well, including British GENES and many others. I’m saddened that anyone would take the information that Cyndi Howells has worked for years to collect as a service to all genealogists and exploit it for their own gains. Like many other genealogists, I’ve donated to Cyndi’s list to help her with any legal fees that she may incur and I’ve created a link to her website on my sidebar to help new genealogists find this wonder resource that’s available to her. While I was exploring her site looking for the link area, it occurred to me that I had never submitted a link to my own website and quickly decided to remedy my omission. I’m pleased to have just received an email confirming that my link is now live:
Out of My Tree Genealogy New!
Genealogy blog, my families (BROWN, SAVAGE, BOND and BULMER in England) and reviews of the latest genealogy books and gadgets.
My best wishes go out to Cyndi and shame on whoever has stolen the content from her website. My thanks, many times over to Cyndi Howells for helping find what I didn’t even know that I was looking for when I first started researching on the internet. Her website is still the place I head to when I’m researching a new place or trying to break down a brick wall If you haven’t visited her site yet, please head on over. And if you just haven’t been there in a while, check it out again. The new site is as awesome as ever and new links are added everyday. Maybe there’s a link to just what you need to break down one of your own brick walls!
