Finding Genealogies and Books on Georgia Pioneers
A valid method of finding your ancestors is to search old records. One resource is to search at the Federal and State Archives. However, times and methods of storing records are changing, and some have been “removed.” Storage is an issue, and old probate records (wills and estates), deeds, etc., are sent into storage in a building other than the archives or library for which it was intended.
A recent trend to tear down monuments also included disposing of books written during the Civil War. It is time to consider this matter because that disposal method could happen again.
The ancients took care to preserve their history. How did they do it?
The Egyptians stored their historical data inside pyramids, and the story was written on the wall in hieroglyphics. Jars made from stone, pottery, wood, and glazed composition were used to preserve human organs but were also stuffed with valuable items. This sort of preservation is lasting!
Another secure method was to preserve written records inside of mountains. We all know this from the Dead Sea Scrolls. But do you know that the Mormon Church microfilmed county records in every American State and stores these precious records inside a mountain?
Who would have thought our county-archived records would not survive damp cellars? But it happened, and one views the damaged script (on microfilm) as “blank” pages. That is the result of dampness.
During the early 1900s, many books on family history and county histories were written and published concerning families and records of the 17th and 18th centuries. While some of these books might be found in some public libraries (genealogy section), most were never reprinted. We would have less data if it were not for Genealogical Publishing Company reprinting old editions. But Ancestry.com purchased that company, and it no longer exists. The market trend today is to gain a profit, thus mostly publishing books written by famous people.
For many years, public libraries have been conducting “book sales.” Sometimes, old genealogy and history books are included in the sale.
Does the Internet guarantee the preservation of our work? In its early days, genealogists uploaded their pedigree charts and family group sheets online. It was a great idea! Except that to preserve work, one needed to acquire a domain name and write a web page to protect these records!
The Internet is ever-changing. The switch to social media became the means of communication and data exchange with friends and relatives. That was where one got the message out concerning new business and contacts. However, that fast train erupted when Americans discovered their data was sold, and they could not recover the email lists built upon those sites.
Today's riveting issues concern power applied in the frequent changes in Google's algorithms and AI programs. Control of the algorithms equates to a decision of what will be shown. No advertising program is designed to get your message out. Instead, it functions to increase the consumer cost of “clicks” with little or no results for the advertiser. Thus, marketers cannot assume that an AI program will do the job.
In conclusion, if the Internet is to preserve the work of the 21st century, I cannot speculate how that will occur.
Georgia Pioneers' old genealogy books are collected online for 52 States. After you join, click on Member Login/Navigation/Genealogy-Books
P. S. — I added all of my genealogy-published books online at Georgia pioneers.com
This is on point..your thoughts on this matter speaks truth. How do preserve todays writing if its online 🤔 facts can be modified. It's hard to know who truly owns it unless a hard copy on paper is preserved.