It’s tempting to link ancestors’ records from genealogical websites like Ancestry®, My Heritage©, or FindMypast©, but it’s better to download those records instead. However, when you ‘save’ a record this way, you are not really saving it at all. Instead, it’s simply linking that record to the correct fact. When you attach a record to your ancestor on these sites, it’s only accessible provided you have a paid subscription. Even if it syncs to your database programs like Family Tree Maker, Legacy 9, and Roots Magic, you won’t have access to the record once your subscription ends.
Transferring genealogical data through a GEDCOM file doesn’t transfer images, text files, or documents, only the data. It’s crucial to download the documents to your hard drive or flash drive and keep backups on cloud storage services like Google Drive. Although it’s convenient to attach the record as usual and let the programs create citations for you, downloading the records directly preserves them for future use.
I organize my records by creating a folder for each ancestor and saving the records I want in those respective folders. Additionally, I make sure to back up these records using Google Drive or any other cloud storage service. When attaching a record, use the program’s feature to create the citation for you.
You can also link them. Here’s how.
Follow these steps:
- Download the genealogy record you need.
- Upload the record to your chosen cloud location.
- Create and obtain the link for that record (right-click and select “get a shareable link”).
- Add the link to your source citation. To do this, find the source citation, click on “edit citation,” and type something like, “This record can be accessed at http://drive.google…..”
- Now, whenever you transfer your tree, you and anyone you choose to share it with will have access to your records.
It is not advisable to input this information into the website field, as this field is intended for the original storage location, such as an archive.
My point is, you shouldn’t depend only on your online program. It’s important to save important information to your computer and/or (I suggest) to your cloud storage.
And while we’re talking about backing up, you should download your Ancestry tree GEDCOM regularly as well, even though you will still have access to your tree data if you end a subscription. The GEDCOM does not contain actual images of records you have attached, so it can’t be used to save those, but it is always good to have a backup of your other data. To download this, go to your tree, click the ‘tree pages’ dropdown, select ‘tree settings’ and the look for the green ‘export’ button on the right sidebar of the setting page.
Taking these precautions will ensure that your genealogical research and records are safely stored and accessible for the long term. By downloading and backing up your records to your computer and cloud storage, you can preserve the valuable information for future generations and ensure that it remains available to you, even if your subscription to online services ends. Remember, maintaining these backups and taking control of your data is an essential part of safeguarding your genealogical research efforts.
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