Using AI for Genealogical Research - Technology is rapidly evolving, giving us access to more information and more ways to interact with that information than ever before. In the field of genealogy, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how we research and understand family histories, helping us to pull together piles of records and produce more cohesive narratives. Though caution is required to make sure that these tools don’t introduce inaccuracies or compromise our privacy, the integration of AI into genealogy promises to make family records more accessible and enhance our understanding of our ancestry.  Site submitted by Jenny Johnson and her son, Ben.  We thank them both for the suggestion and wish them well on their exploration of their family history.

Introduction to Digitizing and Organizing Family Photos and Documents - An excellent guide to digitizing and organizing your family photos and documents.  This is a great way to preserve your family’s history.  By scanning or taking pictures of photos and documents and then placing them into specific digital folders (on or off the cloud), you will be in a better position to protect all you know (or have learned) about your family.  But, as with any digital data, multiple copies (which are simple) in multiple locations (not so simple) will ensure the data survives whatever may come.  Again, time to move into the 21^st Century!  Site submitted by John Oaks, and we thank him, both for the suggestion and for the efforts involved in creating the site.

Video Editing Tips for Family History Videos - Time to move into the 21^st Century! A family history video is a great way to share the fascinating stories and life experiences uncovered through genealogy research.  This site was created to help get you through the initial fumbles and stumbles, and was submitted to us by Lily Bass and her miother, Michelle.  Lily is working on creating a digital version of their family tree (a family originally from Ireland) for her Girl Scout troop project.  Lily found our Links page to be of great help, and thanks us for it.  We likewise thank Lily for her suggestion.  It is much appreciated!.  Well done, Lily!

Genealogy for Kids: Building a Family Tree - A site created and maintained by a Playground Equipment and Supplies firm, AAA State of Play, based in Indianapolis, Indiana.  The site is primarily aimed at beginning genealogists and the younger enthusiasts.  It provides many links to other resources, and was recommended to us by Isaac and his mom, Lilly.  Isaac is a Boy Scout working toward his Genealogy badge.  THANK YOU, Isaac and Lilly!.  It provides many links to other resources.

Researching Your Family's History from Ships Passenger List - A site created and maintained by a Yacht Brokerage firm, HMY (founders initials, I believe) based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  The site was recommended to us by Amanda, a student in the 'Genealogy Research' workshop taught by Grace Coleman, a library media specialist, in Rutland County, Vermont.  THANK YOU, Amanda!  The site provides tips and methods on researching Passenger Lists, as well as many links to other resources.  One can find valuable information, not available elsewhere, by searching ships passenger lists.

Relative Finder - Discover how you are related to Prophets, Presidents, and friends.  This site finds famous people that are related to you.  It was created by BYU and uses your data on Family Search.  You can ask it to search for Mayflower passengers, or any other public ancestors like astronauts, presidents, US Supreme Court Justices, etc. that are (or may be) related to you.  Site submitted by Society member Jim Gardner, and is perhaps the first such submission.  I seem to get more input from the drive-bys than from Society members.  Anyway, THANK YOU, Jim!

25 Best Genealogy Sites - This site contains reviews of (and links to) 25 selected genealogy related web sites.  Some of these are free, some are not, but this site, itself, is free.

A Guide To Home Genealogy - This site, hosted by Kitchen Works, a local (Atlanta) kitchen equipment vendor, provides a very good tutorial on how to get started, and links genealogy and food in an interesting way.  There are also links to other sites, some of which are paid sites.

The Ultimate Guide To Census Records - This site provides an excellent tutorial and description of the United States Census, including the history of the Census, and how the scope of the information collected expanded over the years.

Genealogy & Ancestry Guide – Finding Your Family History - This site, provided by a UK Realty Advice site contains advice on getting started, staying organized, key documents and other possible sources of information.  It lists the most helpful documents and describes what they can provide.

19 Places to Research Your Family Tree for Free - A list of free research sites.  Fairly comprehensive.

Why You Should Dig Up Your Family’s History — and How to Do It - A very well written description of the problem areas to watch out for when researching your family.  Written by someone that has a particularly interesting background.  But, be warned, this is contained within the archives of the New York Times, and thus may well disappear at any time, or unexpectedly require payment of a fee.

Getting Started - This site, provided by American Ancestors, a service of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and has some excellent tips on how to get started, as well as a step by step guide to creating your family genealogy.  You may have to sign up for a free guest account.

How to Build a Family Tree - This site, provided by the National Genealogical Society, has a list of the most helpful documents and what they can provide. The first things you want to look for are birth, marriage and death records, and then on the federal census, which is taken every 10 years (Note: Records from the 1890 census were all lost in a fire).

Digital Library of Georgia - This site provides a plethora of searchable resources, including Census Records, Church Records, Court Records, Directories and Registers, Maps, Military Records, School Records, and more.  A part of Galileo, the University of Georgia Virtual Library.  I suspect I have just provided you with hours and hours of entertainment to ease your corona lock-down time!  Enjoy!

New York City History: Ellis Island - Hosted by a legal firm - my apologies for the advertising.  This has a nice overview of the history of Ellis Island, and a good list of links to other references on Ellis Island.  Hopefully some of you will find it helpful.  This link was contributed by a visitor, Colleen, a young Girl Scout working on her My Family Story Badge,  THANK YOU, Colleen!  It is very much appreciated.

A Genealogy Guide - This is a nice explanation of the basics of genealogical research.  This was referred to us by someone named Edelyn, via an email, after discovering our web site.  THANK YOU, Edelyn!

Genealogy Research Strategies - This is a good review and explanation of possible research sources.  It gives some hints on how to get started.  This was also referred to us by Edelyn, via the same email, after discovering our web site.  Again, THANK YOU, Edelyn!

Guide to Finding the Best DNA Ancestry Test - This is an review of DNA testing organizations, with ratings a to suitablilty for various purposes.  This was referred to us by Olivia from STEMfans, a group dedicated to encouraging more people to pursue study and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.  They have recently begun exploring genealogy and found both our site and this one.  THANK YOU, Olivia!

6 Steps To Your Family History: 15 Minutes At A Time - This is an article referred to us by Julia, who runs a childrens after-school club.  Τhe kids in her club were building their family tree when they found our website.  They found it interesting, bookmarked it and shared it with their family and close relatives.  Julia took the time to send us their "thumbs up" comments on our web site, and recommend another site they found.  This site is hosted by a UK company publishing consumer advice, and appears, basically, to be another beginners tutorial, but one containing some really great ideas.  I have investigated and decided to add it to our links.  THANK YOU, Julia!

How to Get Started On Your Family Tree - This is an article hosted on the website of a UK company publishing consumer advice.  It appears to be sort of like a British Angies List.  It was recommended to us by the author, Claire, who out of the blue, sent me an email with a link and the suggestion we add it.  It is, basically, another beginners tutorial, but may be of assistance to some.  I have investigated and now here it is.  THANK YOU, Claire!

Tracking Your Ancestry - This is an article hosted on the website of a company marketing GPS tracking systems for trucking fleets.  It was recommended to us by the youngsters learning about genealogy under the tutelage of librarian Eva Russell.  It is very much a beginners tutorial, but may well be of some assistance to all of us.  THANK YOU, kids!  You too, Eva.

Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Genealogy - This is an article that may be of great help to the beginner.  It was written by Rachel, who contacted me through our web site and asked me to consider linking to it.  It covers a great many topics that may be unfamiliar to the beginner.  After a brief perusal, I decided it would likely be of some use to the neophytes, so I created this link.  THANK YOU, Rachel!

Genealogy Resources Online - This is a web site maintained by a commercial company (Mapcon Technologies, Inc - a software vendor).  This site contains a long list of resources and links, especially for the beginner.  It has four main sections; Where and How to Search, Creating a Visual Family Tree, Mapping a Family Tree and, finally, Additional Resources.  All appear to have useful information.  This site was suggested by a visitor, Elliot Phillips, who discovered both it and us while doing research for his school genealogy club.  THANK YOU, Elliot!

Obituaries Help - A web site with many resources and links, especially for the beginner.  It has four main sections; Obituaries Resources, Sympathy Resources, Funeral Resources and, finally, Genealogy Resources.  All appear to be quite useful

Free Family Tree Templates (or forms) - This is a direct link to a sub-section of the Obituaries Help site above, with dozens of freely down-loadable genealogical forms, in PDF format, ready to be viewed, downloaded or printed (or all three), and all at no cost to the user.  Unusually, permission is given to take the forms to a professional printer and have them printed in quantity.  Some appear to be a bit ornate, but still, all are useful.  And you can get some great ideas for creating your own, too.

Trace Your Family Tree - Provided by a Tree Removal (real trees, that is) referral web site.  Has a brief introduction to genealogy, followed by links to a nice collection of genealogy related sites.

Find My Past - Has a decently large collection of sources, all search-able on line.  State and County census records, and many European records, among other things.  More extensive collections are available with a paid membership (the Starter Package is $34.95 per year).

Home Genealogy Guide - this British site contains a brief overview of the art of genealogy and a few links to resources.  It may be of some help to neophytes.  Take a look and maybe you will learn something - either useful or just interesting.  It was recommended by Jessica, who contacted me through our web site after finding a broken link (now fixed).  THANK YOU, Jessica.

Access Genealogy - this site contains a collection of articles and links to various genealogical resources.  The site has a section on Black Genealogy, Cemetery Records, Census Records, General Databases, DNA Introduction, Military Records, Native Americans and Vital Records.  Along the right side, you will also find a section dedicated to each state.  I hope you can find something to assist your research here.  It is, at the very least, an interesting site.

History at Home: A Guide to Genealogy - a site with a large collection of links to various genealogical articles and resources, authored by a Andrea Davis.  This site was recommended to us by Bailey, a young girl in the youth group being taught by a Julie, who emailed me through our web site with the information.

Free Charts and Forms - a collection of free genealogical charts and forms, hosted by the United States National Archives.  Dozens of genealogical charts and forms, in PDF format, ready to be viewed, downloaded or printed (or all three), and all at no cost to the user!  Get the forms you need to properly document your research.

Trees - a free section of Ancestry.com.  Start your family tree for free.  Connect with your family story and discover the what, where, and who of how it all leads to you.  One name is all it takes to start your family tree, but the more you add, the better the results -- every name is another piece of the story.

Look for the leaf.  Very soon, leaves will begin to appear on your family tree -- these are Ancestry Hints.  And each one is a potential discovery.  Follow the leaves and watch your family tree grow.

Find A Grave - Find a Grave is a web site that records and presents final disposition information from around the world as a virtual cemetery experience.  Memorials may contain rich content including pictures, biographies and more specific information.  This is a resource to assist in locating the final disposition of family, friends and 'famous' individuals.

Genealogy - The Complete Resource Guide.  This site is a part of the Background Checks site, and appears to be primarily a tutorial for the beginner, with many short explanations and links to genealogical related sites.  You may find something useful here.  This was offered by a Joseph Keller, as a replacement for the old Crest Leaf site, which once occupied this spot in the list and seems to have gone dead.

National Genealogical Society - The National Genealogical Society was founded to serve and grow the genealogical community by providing education and training, fostering increased quality and standards, and promoting access to and preservation of genealogical records.  NGS is more than a century old!  The National Genealogical Society was organized in Washington, DC, in 1903.  The preliminary first meeting was held on 24 April and the formal organization effected 11 November.

Georgia Genealogical Society - The Georgia Genealogical Society, is a nonprofit volunteer organization, founded as a friend of the Georgia Department of Archives and History in 1964.  Publisher of the "Georgia Genealogical Society Quarterly," which contains articles, abstracts, Bible records, and book reviews.  Also publisher of a newsletter, "The Scribe," sent to members four times per year, containing timely short articles and announcements of interest to ancestor hunters.  Appears to provide very little in the way of online resources for non-members.

Cyndi's list - A true cornucopia of web sites and links for any genealogist.

Genes Reunited - Discover what they never talked about.  Create your own family tree online.

Our Genealogy Group - This is a local group, based at Clayton State University, in Clayton County, Georgia.  One of the members presented our October 2013 program.

Family Search - This site, owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church) is indexing many records (birth, death, marriage, census, etc.) from all across the U.S. (and some foreign records).  You can search for your ancestors with little more than a name or you can narrow the results by providing as much additional information as you may have available.

One Great Family - Claims nearly a quarter million pedigree linked names.  Find your family tree in the work submitted by others linked into the world's largest collaborative online family tree.  Offers a 7 day free trial.

My Trees - Claims to be worlds largest collection of family trees of its kind.  Search the world's largest genealogy, pedigree-linked database.  Over 1 Billion Records.  Build your Family History with a Family Search from Birth Records, Marriage Records, Death Records, and - of course.  Offers a 31 day free trial.

World Vital Records - Numerous records and indexes.  Organized by state, UK/Ireland, Canada, Australia and World.  Offers a 3 day free trial.

Genealogy.Com - With the new U.S. Census Collection you can follow your family history decade by decade, getting reliable documentation of births, immigration dates, marriage, occupations and more!  An authoritative collection of passenger lists for all of America's major Atlantic ports plus European, British and Canadian records.  No free trial, that I can see.

Archives - With over 2.5 billion records, Archives is your complete solution for tracing your family tree as far back as possible:  Find birth, death, marriage, divorce and historic vital records from one easy-to-use search interface!  Discover new connections to your family tree with cemetery listings, obituaries, burial and military records, surname histories, and more.  Great for people at all levels - whether you're just starting out or have been doing genealogy for years!Claims nearly a quarter million pedigree linked names.  Offers a 7 day free trial.

Dekalb History Center, a cpllection of useful archives (concentrating on the Atlanta area) and containing (among other things) Maps, a Cemetery Index, Oral Histories, Photographs, Periodicals and City Directories.  Well organized and extremely interesting and useful.

Lee County Library Local History Collection, courtesy of the Digital Library of Georgia.  The collection contains essential historic print items belonging to the Lee County Library in Leesburg, Georgia dating from 1784-2000.  Among the materials are local and regional Baptist and Methodist church histories, histories of the historic towns of Smithville and Starkville, Lee County oral histories, and documentation of the Great Flood of 1994 caused by Tropical Storm Alberto that caused significant damage in Southwest Georgia.

The Ancestry Newspaper Archives - An archive of old newspapers, from the 1700s into the 2000s.  As with all Ancestry projects, there is a fee.  Don't know what the fee is (however, there is a free trial available) nor how easy it may be to search.  Could still be a valuable and useful resource.

Court System - A listing of addresses and phone numbers for Courts, District Attorneys, Jails & Prisons, Police Departments and Sheriffs, all across the U.S.  Make a phone call and find out exactly where the records you are interested in are located, and whether you will be able to access them on the days you plan to visit.  Better than a wasted trip.  THANK YOU, Debbie, for giving us a heads up.

New York Public Library Digital Archives - Repository of more than 180,000 items, all public domain, with no permission required and no restrictions on use.  You will also find tools, projects, and explorations designed to inspire your own creations -- go forth and reuse!

United States National Archives - Repository of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government.  These valuable records are preserved and are available to you, whether you are searching for clues about your family's history, need to prove a veteran's military service, or are researching a historical topic or event that interests you.

National Archives at Atlanta - This is the Southeastern division of the National Archives, containing records pertinent to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.  It is located just across the parking lot from the Georgia Archives, in Morrow, Georgia, at 5780 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, Georgia 30260, and may be contacted by phone at 770-968-2100, or by email at atlanta.archives@nara.gov

Atlanta Federal Records Center - The Atlanta Federal Records Center stores and services records from Federal agencies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.  Located at 4712 Southpark Boulevard, Ellenwood, Georgia 30294, and may be contacted by phone at 404-736-2820.  Closed weekends and federal Holidays.

Georgia State Archives - The Georgia State Archives identifies and preserves Georgia's most valuable historical documents.  This link allows you to search their records for what might interest you.  The Georgia State Archives physical building contains much more and is located just south of Atlanta, at 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, Georgia 30260.  The Georgia State Archives may be contacted by phone at 678-364-3700 or online.

Douglas County Sentinel - This is the local newspaper.  You will have to create an account.  The site provides an online recap of the print editions local news, events, classified ads, shopping, obituaries, birth and wedding announcements and more.  You may find something of interest there.

Irish American Migration History - Irish immigration has left an indelible mark on the fabric of American life, from the annual St. Patrick's Day celebrations to the many valuable contributions of Irish Americans to national politics, education, and the arts.  The site contains links to a wealth of historical and genealogical documents related to Irish immigration.  Our thanks to Amelia for the contribution.

The Avalon Project - This site is a project of the Yale Law School, and contains an extensive collection of historical documents.  These are broken up by centuries, from the 15^th century (earlier is listed broadly as Medieval or Ancient) up to the 21^st century.

New Georgia Encyclopedia - This site is a project of the Georgia Humanities Council in partnership with the University of Georgia Press, the University System of Georgia/GALILEO, and the Office of the Governor.  It has many interesting pages, and is a "work in progress," growing all the time.  This link takes you directly to a list of county pages.

New Georgia Encyclopedia - Douglas County - This link takes you directly to the Douglas County entry.

Old Campbell County Historical Society - The Old Campbell County Historical Society (OCCHS) was formed in 1971 with a mission to be the repository for documents, artifacts, and oral histories that might otherwise be lost due to Campbell no longer being an official county.  Headquartered at the Historic Train Depot in Palmetto, Georgia, the facility includes a research library, museum, and large collection of documents and images related to Campbell County and surrounding areas.

Save the Hart House - Something a bit different; This is a link to a Facebook page, created as part of the first project of the newly incorporated Villa Rica Area Historical Society, a 501(c)3 organization, dedicated to the preservation of the history of the Villa Rica area.  Villa Rica has some rather interesting history.  It is, as far as I know, the only city in the US to pick up and move, lock, stock and barrel.  This occurred after the railroad decided to bypass the city when they laid their tracks.  It was decided that the effort and expense of moving would be worth it for ready access to the railroad.

Douglas County Historic Items - This site, a part of the University of Georgia, contains several hundred historical items relating to Douglas County, to include maps, photographs and documents.

Georgia Place Names - Arranged alphabetically, with links to maps and other information, if any.  Did you know there are TWO places in Georgia known as "Dark Corner" (the descriptive name for a remote, isolated and lonesome road)?  One is in Douglas County, and is named for the Cherokee leader known as The Dark.  The other is in Camden County.   Here is an alphabetical listing of place names by county.  Where is "Hico?"  Hint - Douglas County.  Check it out.

Explore Georgia History - A collection of Georgia related essays, documents, lists and links from the Georgia Historical Society.

The Historic Oakland Foundation - The amazing Oakland Cemetery.  More than just graves!

The Story Behind the History - An interesting source of Georgia history, trivia and other 'Georgia Stuff!' This is a blog, created and maintained by a once upon a time member - Lisa Cooper, who also writes the history column for the Douglas County Sentinel..

Every Now and Then - Another blog that is an interesting source of strictly Douglas County and Old Campbell County history, trivia and other tidbits.  This blog also created and maintained by our own Lisa Cooper, prolific little gal that she is (another of her blog articles is also specifically linked in the Fun Sites section).

Mrs. Lillian and Campbell County High School’s Class of 1933 - Here is more of Lisa's almost magical writing.  It is also a great example of how intertwined history and genealogy can be.  It tells the story of what Lisa learned (and how) from an old scrapbook she purchased more or less on a whim.  It also provides what could be invaluable research tips.  So always be on the lookout for possible sources, no matter how tenuous the connection, and don't be afraid to grab that strange item.

Georgia Post Card Collection from the Newberry Archive - Almost 400 post card images, all or Georgia subjects.

Douglas County Film Trail - Did you know that over 700 movie and television productions have been filmed in Douglas County, Georgia?

NASA Image of the Day - A spectactular daily photograph from the NASA archives.

Vanishing Georgia - Over 1700 historically significant photographs of people, places, and structures from Georgia's past.

Adams-Cates Company Photographs - Adams-Cates Company (currently known as Grubb & Ellis Atlanta) is a real estate firm located in Atlanta, Georgia.  The company has been involved in dozens of commercial developments, throughout the metropolitan region.  This collection consists of aerial photographs produced to assist in the development of commercial real estate.  They document the construction of the interstate system around Atlanta and Decatur, the growth of the Atlanta skyline, and the rural landscapes of Cobb, Gwinnett, Douglas, Hall and Newton counties.

Clifford H. (Baldy) Baldowski Editorial Cartoon Collection - The Clifford H. (Baldy) Baldowski Editorial Cartoons (at the Richard B. Russell Library) contains 6,740 pen and ink drawings and 2,460 velox.  The digital database contains approximately 2,600 cartoons from the collection.  Clifford H. Baldowski, known by the pen-name "Baldy," depicted the local, national, and international news of his day in the editorial pages of the Augusta Chronicle, Miami Herald, and Atlanta Constitution.  His work is a rich source of information for those studying political reorganization in Georgia and the growth of Atlanta as well as the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, the Vietnam conflict, Middle East tensions, and Watergate.

The Atlanta Crackers - The Crackers were one of professional baseball's most successful minor league franchises.  From 1901 until 1965, they won seventeen league championships -- more than any other team in organized baseball except the New York Yankees.  The origin of the nickname "Crackers" is unknown.  Cracker was once a derogatory term for a poor white southerner, but it has also been used to denote someone quick and efficient at some task.

Celebrate Douglas County - The official Douglas County web site.  Here you will find a plethora of information about current Douglas County events and programs.

Douglasville Patch - This site provides local news, events, shopping and more, with intriguing articles posted by local writers.  You may find something of interest there.

How Douglas Lost an 'S' -  PLEASE NOTE: We regret to inform you that this page no longer exists.  However, this story can be accessed at Lisa's Every Now and Then blog..  Written a number of years ago, by our very own Lisa Cooper (a school teacher then, now gone on to other things), and hosted on her Georgia On My Mind blog site, which is also linked under History Sites.  Lisa is the author of the history column for the Douglas County Sentinel.  This story, along with 140 more stories about Douglas County, is included in Lisa's book which is available on Amazon as Every Now and Then, The Amazing Stories of Douglas County.  Both Kindle and Paperback editions available.

Topix - Local news and discussion forums.  It should identify your location.  If not, just enter your zip code.

NOTE: This site appears to have turned into merely an entry point for Publishers Clearing House.  It was fun while it lasted.  Link disabled.

There are several software terms you should become familiar with.  Perhaps the most important are freeware, shareware and proprietary (or commercial).

Freeware is exactly what it suggests.  A program that is freely obtainable (normally by downloading) and free to distribute to others.  This is most often a program written by an individual to solve his own needs.  The results turned out so well he felt some others with similar needs might enjoy using it, but he has no desire to get involved in the software publishing business.  Two of the best known are probably Firefox (a web browser) and Thunderbird (an e-mail client), both also open source.

Shareware is a try before you buy concept.  Shareware is free to download, install and try out.  It is often limited to a short period, a minimal number of uses or transactions or some other limitation, and then you must purchase a license to continue using it, but at least you know what you are getting.  And the price is usually rather paltry, especially when compared to any commercial equivalents.  Shareware is often similar to freeware in how it comes to exist, but the creator sees an opportunity to get a little return on his efforts.

Proprietary (or commercial) software is a commercially distributed program.  Think Microsoft Windows or Office, Adobe PhotoShop, etc.

Another term you will hear is open source.  This means that the source code (the near English version of the program code) is freely available for download and inspection.  And even for modification to suit your particular needs, if you have the necessary skills.  Personally, I (your humble love open source software.  I even run an open source operating system (Linux) rather than that proprietary monstrosity known as Windows.  All open source software is also freeware.  How could it not be?  Since you could freely download the source code and recreate your own copy of the program?  And customize it to suit your needs and likes as you do so.

Don't associate quality with price.  Some of the best software is either free or very inexpensive.

You should all be aware that there are various categories of web sites, as denoted by the ending of the name (the part after the dot).  The best known of these are .com (for commercial entities), .net (for network providers), .org (for non-profits - like DCGS) and .edu (for educational institutions).  There are a few others (.gov, .mil, etc.), that are rarely encountered by us ordinary users.
Now, since the internet was invented by the U.S., and is still (mostly) controlled by the U.S., foreign entities cannot use the above categories, but must use the country codes as listed here. These are primarily used for email addresses, so you can quickly determine where that email came from.  Although there seems to be an increasing relaxation of this particular restriction, as well as a growing proliferation of other officially recognized categories.  Seems rational systems never survive very long.

Another thing you probably should familiarize yourself with is Internet Shorthand.  Most of you probably know LOL (Laughing Out Loud), but there are many others.  How many know what AFAIK or IIRC mean?  Yet you are quite likely to encounter them on the internet.

Genealogical Software - This is the the WikiPedia page describing the best known of the vast number of genealogical programs.  Of course the best known (and most popular) is Family Tree Maker, but there are many others, some free, some not, and some that were around long before Family Tree Maker was created.

Genealogical Software Reviews - This rather over-whelming site provides brief descriptions and user reviews of more than 1000 genealogical programs.  Don't let the sheer quantity intimidate you.  Explore!

Top 24 Free Software Download Sites - 24 of the best sources for freeware programs.  You will find programs to do almost anything here.  Try some - they're free!

Tucows - Tucows is an acronym for "The Ultimate Collection Of Windows Software."  The site began as a source for Windows software, but since its original inception, it has expanded to include Macintosh, Linux and Mobile (smart-phone and tablet) software.  Includes all the varieties of software: freeware, shareware and some commercial.  Unfortunately, they now have the following announcement on their site:

We have made the difficult decision to retire the Tucows Downloads site.  We’re pleased to say that much of the software and other assets that made up the Tucows Downloads library have been transferred to our friends at the Internet Archive for posterity.