GEDCOM Files

Gedcom files are another common term you will hear in genealogical communities, so I thought I would explain what they are and how you use them. Sometimes, it's spelled GEDCOM (all caps) but I find that annoying.

If you keep your genealogy records the "old-fashioned" way (handwritten in pedigree charts, for example) then Gedcom files will be of no use to you. But maybe when you realize how helpful they can be, you might want to switch to computer software record-keeping.

Gedcom files are the standard file format for genealogy programs, which allows you to share your family tree information with other people who also use compatible software. Pretty much every program on the market today can read Gedcom files. You can share your research by just swapping files with someone.

The name stands for GEnealogical Data COMmunication, and the format was designed by the Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in 1985 in order to make it easier to transfer information between researchers.

Another way to share information between genealogists using Gedcom files is to upload your file to an online website that hosts and links together thousands of family trees. Sites like RootsWeb WorldConnect and GenCircles are wonderful resources because individual people make their research public. Genealogy book publishers sometimes take Gedcom files in order to produce printed books of your family tree. They are very versitile little files.

You don't need a lot of computer skills to create these files. Just check your software manual or help files for instructions on how to export your data to a Gedcom file. It's usually just a couple of clicks. Piece of cake.

With the old version of Generations that I use, I just click on File>, then Export and then Export to Gedcom. Nice and simple.

Don't bother trying to read the file once you've created it. It's designed to be read by other software programs, and will look like a solid mass of text, dates and numbers.

_{This article was originally published at Suite101.com}