| Adventures in
Genealogy: The Years Best (Part Two) or Rednecks, Web Sites and The Good Stuff |
Last week we discussed, what I considered to be, the five best things to happen to genealogy during the year. This week, I would like to take a look at, what I consider to be, the five best web sites of the year. 1) www.familysearch.com - The wealth of information on this site is truely amazing. It's like having a Family History Center in your own home. The ease in which you can look up materials on this site, more than makes up for its "average" appearance. The fact that all of the material on this site is (My Magic Word) FREE, makes it one of the BEST sites of the Year for 2001. 2) The Golden Gate Genealogy Forum's "Tribute to World War Two Veterans" (http://www.genealogyforum.rootsweb.com/specials/Veterans/index.html). There is a wealth of information on this page, but that is not the reason that I chose it for the year's annual awards. The design of this site is way over the top, the amount of time, and skill, that went into developing this site reflects a great deal of respect for the Veterans it honors. My hat is off to everyone involved with this Site. This Site is one of the BEST sites of the Year 2001. 3) Bits of Blue and Gray (www.bitsofblueandgray.com). There are a ton of Civil War sites out there. If you look around, you can find a lot of sites about the Civil War reflecting every viewpoint possible. What sets this site apart, is the objectivity of the people involved with this site. Two things raise this site above the numerous excellent Civil War sites. The first, is the Columnist Jayne McCormick, she succeeds in breathing life into the columns she writes, whether she is sharing letters written by Civil War veterans, or talking about Abraham Lincoln, you end up caring about the person or the event. The second reason I picked this site, is because of the beautiful graphics. They are excellent, without dominating the material presented by the Writer. This Site is one of the BEST sites of 2001. 4) Ruth Anne's Ship's Passenger Lists Page. The amount of material on this page is awesome. It boggles the mind, that any one person could transcribe this much material, and would then give it away for (My Magic Word) FREE. If you are looking for information on a ship's passenger list, I would advise that you try this page first. I will be honest with you, I dont care for the graphics on this page, but the material more than makes up for them. This Site is one of the BEST Sites of 2001 5) Andersonville Civil War Prison (http://www.angelfire.com/ga2/Andersonvilleprison/index.html) Without a doubt, the single best site I have ever seen on the Andersonville Civil War Prison. Andersonville was the single most "infamous" of the civil war prisons, and the loving detail and massive coverage of the prison on this site, makes it a must read for anyone that is interested in the Prison or Civil War Genealogy. This Site is one of the BEST Sites of 2001. I want to congratulate all of the web masters that developed and maintain these five sites, but I would like to make special mention of William Martin. Mr. Martin designed two of the five sites that made this list, Bits of Blue and Gray and the Golden Gate's tribute to World War Two veterans. Next Week's column will deal with my goals for 2002. Adios and Keep Smiling Bill Hocutt aka Uncle Hiram |