Two New BYU Family History Library Genealogy Videos

The Family History Library at Brigham Young University has published two new videos. The first is an introduction to The Family History Guide website. I have the opportunity to present a series of classes at the Library and I distilled the classes into a much shorter presentation. The second video is entitled "Using FamilySearch Record Hints." You may wish to subscribe to the BYU Family History Library Channel to get notices of new videos as they are posted.

We are closing in on 100 videos. Please feel free to make suggestions for topics for future videos.

What is the largest online source for genealogical information?

Several websites claim to be the largest online source for genealogical information but depend on their own definition to establish their claims. Size is always considered a selling point. Think about the giant, economy sizes in your local warehouse store. We tend to be impressed with records of any sort. The Guinness Book of World Records is already out for 2016 and the website has 3804 records for the "largest" things. Some of the largest things recorded include the largest crochet blanket and the largest wearable turban. Size doesn't always equal value; although the largest diamond in the world might be an exception. But I might think someone was grasping at straws to claim the largest collection of stamps featuring Popes.

My rule is that size does not matter if the website does not have the records you are looking for. Notwithstanding my rule, there has to be a certain fascination about size or the websites (or libraries) wouldn't claim to be the largest.

The dividing line between including Google in the claim for being the largest "anything having to do with genealogy no matter how remote the connection" and an obvious genealogy site such as Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org, is the characterization of the website. In short, does the website purport to be used for genealogy or is genealogical information merely one of the side benefits from having a lot of stuff? Granted, having a lot of records in one place may seem to be an advantage, but if I do a search on a large website for an ancestor and get over a million results, what am I supposed to do with that?

In reality (whatever that is) there is no practical way to compare the size of the larger online, genealogical database programs. So I have observed in the past, there are no clear definitions for the terms records, collections, names, etc. used by the various websites. For example, Ancestry.com lists 32,222 record collections, while FamilySearch.org lists 2036 collections. How do you compare the two lists of "collections" when one collection can contain one record or millions? In addition, Ancestry.com's collections list all of the records they have available. On the other hand, FamilySearch.org has millions of records still in microfilm format that are not yet included in the Historical Record Collections.

Any claims about the total number of records or names in those records must be an estimation at best. I can't imagine anyone sitting down and counting a billion records. Technically, if the individual records were entered into a computer database, the computer database could return a number of total records. That would assume that each individual record was uniquely defined in the database. However, take for example a US Census record, a single record may have 50 names or no names. Here, I use the term "record" to refer to a single U.S. Census sheet or page.

If I have a smaller database, conceivably I could search the entire database manually to determine if there were any records pertaining to my ancestors. With very large databases, we are entirely dependent upon the ability of the search engine to tell us whether or not there are pertinent records available. Although I may search a large database over and over I am never quite certain that I have effectively determined the existence or nonexistence of any specific record. For example, I am not going to search every record in an entire census year simply for the purpose of determining whether an ancestor lived in the United States.

Claims that a database has "billions" of records usually ignore the issue of duplicates. In addition, including user generated family tree entries as "records" obviously obscures the entire claim to a large number of records. My guess is that users will be more impressed with the accuracy of the searches of even a limited number of records than they will be if the searches are too general and thereby less useful.

I recently visited two different stores in one day. One was a large, warehouse store with thousands of products in large quantities. The second store was an extreme contrast. It was a small store with very specialized products. From both stores to be helpful. The interesting thing is that I would not have gone to the large store to purchase the items I ended up buying at the small store. I think genealogy databases work the same way.

Find Your Immigrant Ancestors - Naturalization Records -- Part Two

Example of post-1906 Declaration of Intent and Naturalization

This is the second in a series of posts about naturalization records. Here is a link to the first installment:

http://genealogysstar.blogspot.com/2015/09/find-your-immigrant-ancestors.html

Very few subjects in American history have been more contentious than immigration and conflicts over immigration and immigration policies continue to this day to be subject to political fighting at the highest levels. For genealogists, this controversy is both good news and bad news. The good news is that naturalization produces genealogically valuable records. The bad news is that those records are often not so easy to find.

I once considered taking on immigration law as an emphasis in my law practice. I spent a considerable time reviewing all of the existing laws and the status of immigrants at the time and concluded that trying to follow the immigration laws in the United States was equal to or greater than the Internal Revenue Tax Laws and rulings. I gave up the idea.

Finding the naturalization records before 1906 takes some degree of detective-like investigation. In the first instance, you need to ascertain the exact location of the ancestor, at about the time the initial naturalization petition was filed. Next, the history of the court system in that place needs to be studied to determine where the petition would have been filed, that is, which court could have had jurisdiction to declare citizenship. If the court is identified, then the records also need to be located. Once located they need to be searched. It must be understood that, in some cases, the petition could have been filed in several different places.

One good indicator of the existence of an ancestor's naturalization record is a mention of naturalization in the U.S. Federal Census. The naturalization status of foreign-born people was listed on the Census records from 1890 to 1930. But the 1890 U.S. Federal Census records were partially lost to a fire and the rest destroyed by the U.S. Government with a very few exceptions. The problem in finding naturalization records prior to 1906 is highlighted in a statement made in a 1905 "Report to the President of the Commission on Naturalization" that states:

The methods of making and keeping the naturalization records in both the Federal and State courts are as various as the procedure in such cases. Thus the declaration of intention in some courts consists merely of the bare statement of the intention and the name and allegiance of the alien, while in other courts it also includes a history of the alien.... In a majority of courts alien applicants are not required to make the declaration of intention required by law ... and in other courts he is. Previous to 1903 a majority of courts did not require petitions or affidavits; other courts did. Some courts keep a naturalization record separate from the other records; other courts include the naturalization record in the regular minutes of the court. Some records contain full histories of the aliens, but a majority of the records show only the name, nationality, oath of allegiance, and date of admission. See Naturalization, United States Commission on, Milton Dwight Purdy, Gaillard Hunt, and Richard K. Campbell. Report to the President of the Commission on Naturalization Appointed by Executive Order March 1, 1905 ... U.S. Government Printing Office, 1905, page 89.

 In most cases, applying for naturalization was a two-step process; the alien filed a "declaration of intent" after being in the United States for at least two years and then after 3 more years filed a "petition for naturalization." Before 1906, the content of these documents varied from court to court as indicated in the above quote. A summary of the problem of locating the records is given in a short article entitled "Naturalization Records" on the U.S. National Archives website.

As the U.S. National Archives article point out, from 1790 to 1922:

Wives of naturalized men automatically became citizens. This also meant that an alien woman who married a U.S. citizen automatically became a citizen. (Conversely, an American woman who married an alien lost her U.S. citizenship, even if she never left the United States.) From 1790 to 1940, children under the age of 21 automatically became naturalized citizens upon the naturalization of their father. Unfortunately, however, names and biographical information about wives and children are rarely included in declarations or petitions filed before September 1906. See Prologue Magazine, Summer 1998, Vol. 30, No. 2 "Any woman who is now or may hereafter be married..." Women and Naturalization, ca 1802-1940, by Marian L. Smith. 

 The Utah State Archives article on Naturalization and Citizenship Records explains the status of wives and children more completely. Here is a quote:

With the passage of the Cable Act in 1922 women were allowed to naturalize on their own (42 Stat. 1021). A married women whose husband was a citizen did not need to file a Declaration of Intent. A woman who had lost her citizenship through marriage and regained it under the Cable Act could file to naturalize in any naturalization court. In 1936, Congress passed a new act allowing a woman who had lost her citizenship between 1907-1922 through marriage to a foreign national to take an oath of allegiance for citizenship to be restored. 

From 1790 to 1940 children under the age of 21 automatically assumed citizenship with the naturalization of their father. Before 1906 names of minor children rarely appear on the declaration or petition forms. If there was no father who could naturalize himself and his family, a minor alien who had lived in the U.S. for at least five years could file the declaration and petition together before his 23rd birthday. 

In 1929, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service began issuing a “Certificate of Derivative Citizenship” to women and children who had gained naturalization through the naturalization of their husband or father.

See also, "Tracing Women Using Immigration and Naturalization Records (National Institute)" from the FamilySearch.org Research Wiki.

Example of pre-1906 Declaration of Intent and Naturalization

At different times, various minority groups such as Chinese, Blacks, Native Americans and Hawaiians, were not permitted citizenship. Here is a list of the exclusionary acts as set forth in the Utah State Archives, Naturalization and Citizenship Records:

• 1882 - Chinese Exclusion Act, which would be extended in some form until 1902 (22 Stat. 58).
• 1891 - Classes of persons denied right to immigrate to U.S.—insane, paupers, persons with contagious diseases, persons convicted of felonies or misdemeanors of moral turpitude, and polygamists (26 Stat. 1084)
• 1900 - Hawaii Organic Act, granting U.S. citizenship to residents on or before August 12, 1898 (31 Stat. 141).
• 1921 - Quota Act limiting immigration from each country based on population in 1910 Census (42 Stat. 5).
• 1924 - Immigration Act with more limits, especially from Southern and Eastern Europe, plus Middle Easterners, East Asians, and Asian Indians (43 Stat. 153).
• 1924 - Indian Citizenship Act, granting citizenship to all Native Americans born within the borders of United States (43 Stat. 253).
• 1965 - "National quotas" replaced with "annual ceilings" for number of immigrants, strongly relying on family relationships for granting requisite visas for immigration (9 Stat. 911).

 After 1940, finding an immigrant became somewhat easier. Here is a quote from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:

The Immigration and Naturalization Service ("INS") started issuing each non-citizen a unique A-number in 1940 as part of the Alien Registration Program (see Alien Registration Forms). On April 1, 1944, INS started using A-numbers to create individual files, called A-Files. INS opened or consolidated A-Files for every immigrant who arrived after April 1, 1944 or naturalized after April 1, 1956, and for immigration law enforcement matters. 

Before A-Files, many aliens had more than one file with the agency. For example, an immigrant might have a Visa File, an AR-2, and a C-File. Accessing all agency records for an alien often required INS personnel to search multiple records systems and indexes. INS introduced A-Files to streamline its record keeping. Issuing each immigrant an A-number allowed INS to create one file for each immigrant containing all the agency's records for the subject.

From April 1, 1944 to March 31, 1956, A-Files contained all INS records of any active case of an immigrant not yet naturalized. When the agency opened an A-File for a non-citizen with previous agency records, INS consolidated its other records for the subject into the new A-File. Upon naturalization, INS consolidated (refiled) all agency records of the new citizen in his or her Certificate File ("C-File") and the A-File ceased to exist. Beginning April 1, 1956, INS started filing all agency records for active cases, including naturalization records, in the subject's A-File. USCIS continues this practice today.

 I didn't particularly consider that this post would become a series, but I guess I forgot how complicated immigration and naturalization could be. The records, when found, can be very valuable or of little or no value and there is no way to predict what you will find. But I do need to continue with this discussion.

Find Your Immigrant Ancestors - Naturalization Records -- Part One

"The naturalization petition of George Markert. - NARA - 279281" by Unknown or not provided - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_naturalization_petition_of_George_Markert._-_NARA_-_279281.jpg#/media/File:The_naturalization_petition_of_George_Markert._-_NARA_-_279281.jpg

One of the thorny issues of genealogical research is determining the place of origin of an ancestor. If you are doing research in the United States, unless your ancestors were Native Americans, you will inevitably have to deal with discovering the place of origin of an immigrant. One of the most potentially productive areas of research involve naturalization records. However, there are some definite time related limitations on their usefulness. As you go back in time, there are fewer records and those that do exist become less valuable due to their lack of detail. For this reason, it is important to understand the naturalization process as well as the general time periods in which the records can be expected to be found.

The earliest naturalization laws were not passed until 1790. It is important to realize that when a person entered the area now part of the United States of America, their entry was made according to the laws of the various European countries that controlled the area of entry. For example, immigrants who settled in the area now known as Arizona, New Mexico or California before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 were entering into Spain or Mexico. This is an important fact to remember. Likewise, if someone came from England before 1776, they were essentially moving from one part of the British Empire to another part and were not strictly "immigrants." They did not change their citizenship upon their arrival in America. Accordingly, there are no "naturalization" records available during those time periods. If people came from other areas of the world, then they would most likely be found in ship passenger arrival records. For records of arrivals on the Eastern Seaboard from 1538 to 1819 see the following books. This is a supplement (with a few duplicates) of the list I included in my post on passenger lists.

Baca, Leo. Czech Immigration Passenger Lists. Halletsville, Tex.; Richardson, Tex.: Old Homestead Pub. Co. ; Copies from L. Baca, 1983.

Brøderbund. Passenger and Immigration Lists. [Novato, Calif.]: Broderbund Software, 1998.

Brøderbund, Genealogy.com, United States, and National Archives and Records Service. Passenger and Immigration Lists. [Novato, Calif.]: [Broderbund] : Genealogy.com, 2000.

Filby, P. William. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Detroit: Gale, 1991.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1995.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1996.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1997.

———. “Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s 2000 Update.” Broderbund, 2000.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 1, Part 1,. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1997.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 1, Part 1,. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1998.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 1, Part 1,. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 1999.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 1, Part 1,. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 2000.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 1, Part 1,. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 2001.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 1, Part 1,. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 2002.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 2, Part 2,. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1998.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 2, Part 2,. Detroit: Gale, 1999.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 2, Part 2,. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 2000.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 2, Part 2,. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 2000.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 2, Part 2,. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 2001.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Part 2, Part 2,. Detroit, MI: Gale Group, 2002.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: Supplement. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co., 1994.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: Supplement,1982. [S.l.]: Gale Research, 1983.

Filby, P. William, and Paula K Byers. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to Published Records of More than 2,410,000 Immigrants Who Came to the New World between the Sixteenth and the Mid-Twentieth Centuries. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co., 1995.

Filby, P. William, and Harold Lancour. Passenger and Immigration Lists Bibliography, 1538-1900: Being a Guide to Published Lists of Arrivals in the United States and Canada. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co., 1981.

Filby, P. William, and Dorothy M Lower. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1992.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: 1986-90 Cumulated Supplements in Three Volumes. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1990.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: 1991-95 Cumulated Supplements in Three Volumes. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc., 1995.

Filby, P. William, and Mary K Meyer. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index ... Vol. 2, Vol. 2,. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index ... Vol. 3, Vol. 3,. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981.

Filby, P. William, and Mary Keysor Meyer. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to Published Arrival Records of 300,000 Passengers Who Came to the United States and Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co., 1980.

———. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to Published Arrival Records of about 500,000 Passengers Who Came to the United States and Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Research Co., 1981.

———. “Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to Published Arrival Records of about 500,000 Passengers Who Came to the United States and Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries.” Passenger and Immigration Lists Index : A Guide to Published Arrival Records of about 500,000 Passengers Who Came to the United States and Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries., 1981.

Filby, P. William, Katherine H Nemeh, and Brøderbund. “Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s.” Brøderbund, 2000.

Gale Research Company. “Passenger and Immigration Lists Index.” Passenger and Immigration Lists Index., 1982.

———. “Passenger and Immigration Lists Index.” Passenger and Immigration Lists Index., 1985.

Genealogy.com. Passenger and Immigration Lists Irish to America, 1846-1886. Volume 2. Volume 2. [Novato, CA?]: Genealogy.com, 2001.

Genealogy.com (Firm). Baltimore Passenger and Immigration Lists. 1851-1872. Volume 2 Volume 2. [Novato, Calif.]: Geneaology.com, 2001.

———. Irish & British Immigrants to America, 1860s-1870s, Passenger and Immigration Lists. [Novato, Calif.]: Geneaology.com, 2003.

———. Irish & British Immigrants to America, 1870-1872, Passenger and Immigration Lists. Volume 2 Volume 2. [Novato, Calif.]: Geneaology.com, 2003.

———. Irish & British Immigrants to America, 1873-1879, Passenger and Immigration Lists. Volume 3 Volume 3. [Novato, Calif.]: Geneaology.com, 2003.

Passenger and Immigration Lists Bibliography 1538-1900: First Supplement. S.l.: s.n.], 1984.

Passenger and Immigration Lists: Boston, 1821-1850. [Place of publication not identified]: Genealogy.com, 2000.

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2007.

Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. Detroit: Gale, Cengage Learning, 2008.

“Passenger and Immigration Lists Index: A Guide to Publ. Arrival Records of about ... Passengers Who Came to the United States and Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries.” Passenger and Immigration Lists Index : A Guide to Publ. Arrival Records of about ... Passengers Who Came to the United States and Canada in the Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Centuries, 1985.

Naturalization is defined as the process by which an alien becomes a national citizen. The process in the United States can be divided into two general time periods: Pre-1906 and naturalization after 1906. This time division is based on the fact that prior to 1906 naturalization was handled by local court's of record, whether municipal, county, state or Federal. In 1906 the Naturalization Acts required all naturalizations to be handled by the Federal District Courts and all the records were transferred, after that time, to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The Pre-1906 records are scattered in archives and other repositories around the country.

Here is a summary of the early immigration laws from the U.S. National Archives website:

An act of March 2, 1819 (3 Stat. 489) required the captain or master of a vessel arriving at a port in the United States or any of its territories from a foreign country to submit a list of passengers to the collector of customs, beginning January 1, 1820. The act also required that the collector submit a quarterly report or abstract, consisting of copies of these passenger lists, to the Secretary of State, who was required to submit such information at each session of Congress. After 1874, collectors forwarded only statistical reports to the Treasury Department. The lists themselves were retained by the collector of customs. Customs records were maintained primarily for statistical purposes. 

On August 3, 1882, Congress passed the first Federal law regulating immigration (22 Stat. 214-215); the Secretary of the Treasury had general supervision over it between 1882 and 1891. The Office of Superintendent of Immigration in the Department of the Treasury was established under an act of March 3, 1891 (26 Stat. 1085), and was later designated a bureau in 1895 with responsibility for administering the alien contract-labor laws. In 1900 administration of the Chinese-exclusion laws was added. Initially the Bureau retained the same administrative structure of ports of entry that the Customs Service had used. By the turn of the century it began to designate its own immigration districts, the numbers and boundaries of which changed over the years. 

In 1903 the Bureau became part of the Department of Commerce and Labor; its name was changed to the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization when functions relating to naturalization were added in 1906. In 1933 the functions were transferred to the Department of Labor and became the responsibility of the newly formed Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Under President Roosevelt's Reorganization Plan V of 1940, the INS was moved to the Department of Justice. The INS was abolished, and its immigration and naturalization recordkeeping functions were transferred to the new Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services within the new Department of Homeland Security, established January 24, 2003, by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (116 Stat. 2135, 2205).

Stay tuned for Part Two.

The Family History Guide updates Classes and Training

Well, just after I completed a presentation on The Family History Guide, they updated the program with extensive Classes and Training materials. The new additions include detailed Training Strategies, Presentations and Training Modules. If you are in the position of teaching family history, your preparation just got a whole lot easier. These are professional-level materials.

The materials have been created with a distinct slant towards those in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but can be adapted for use by others. The materials are also flexible for use in mentoring one person or teaching an entire classroom full of students.

The classes are supported by a complete Microsoft Power Point presentation.

To review the class materials, click on the Classes and Training link on the Get Started page of the website. See TheFHGuide.com.

Innovator Summit Portal now open on RootsTech 2016

The Innovator Summit is a one-day event for developers, entrepreneurs, and innovators from around the world. As summarized on the RootsTech.org website:

At the 2016 Innovator Summit, you’ll experience:

• A full lineup of classes taught by business professionals and experienced developers from the family history and adjacent industries
• Morning keynote session with a well-known keynote speaker
• The semifinal round of the 2016 RootsTech Innovator Showdown
• Evening networking event with other Innovator Summit attendees

I have attended all of the Innovators Summit activities since its inception for me, it is one of the highlights of the entire RootsTech conference experience. The Innovator Summit ONLY pass is available at the discounted price of $89. A RootsTech and Innovator Summit pass is also available at the exclusive early bird discount price of $169 for anyone interested in experiencing everything that RootsTech has to offer.

 In 2016, the experience will probably be different because the main RootsTech conference is beginning at noon on Wednesday. I would suggest you may want to purchase an Innovator Summit pass to take advantage of the opening keynote another Innovator Summit activities as an option.

Preserving Your Digital Files

"Graphics file formats (EN version)" by Konrad170This vector image was created with Inkscape. - Own work. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Graphics_file_formats_(EN_version).
svg#/media/File:Graphics_file_formats_(EN_version).svg

When I write about preserving your digital files, I am referring to a number of different levels of preservation. A digital file is a complex series of electronic impulses stored on some type of media. For example, if I use a "digital" camera to take a photograph, the light rays entering the camera through the lens are directed to a sensor that converts the light waves into electronic impulses. For a more detailed explanation, see What is a CCD? The electronic impulses are recorded by the computer in the camera and "developed" or changed into a type of file that can be read and stored by a computer, usually a JPEG file or a RAW file. Once the file is in a readable file format, it can be transferred either by a USB or other wire connector or by WiFi (depending on the camera) to my computer. In fact, there are many different file formats: TIFF, PNG, GIF, JPG, JPG 2000, RAW, BMP, PSD, PSP, PPM, PGM, PBM, PNM, WEBP, just to name a few more. See Wikipedia: Image file formats.

The camera itself may have a way of storing photos and the "original" of the photo will remain in the camera's storage (either internally or on a memory card inserted into a slot in the camera body) until it is erased or some destructive act occurs that erases the camera's memory.

Now an exact copy of the original file (the electronic impulses forming the image) from your camera now reside on the memory of your computer. All electronic devices rely on electricity to function. The copied file resides in your computers permanent memory, usually on an internal hard disk drive or in some newer computers, an internal flash drive.

This example has so far been restricted to image files. There are many, many more file formats out there in the computer world. Almost every program has its own file format, usually designated by a three or four letter file extension. There are hundreds of file formats listed online. Here is a sample some of the websites contain file format lists:

• Wikipedia: List of file formats
• File format overview and information
• Complete List of File Formats

As an example of the complications involved in file formats, the image at the beginning of this post was originally saved as an .svg file. That is what as known as a type of "vector" file. In order to use the file as an illustration in this blog post, the file had to be converted to a .jpg or .jpeg file type. The easiest way for me to do this file format change was to do a screenshot of the original file format. I opened the file in Adobe Illustrator and then did a screenshot. I could also have saved the file in .pdf file format and then used Adobe Acrobat Pro to change the file format to another image format such as .jpeg. This particular file is protected by the attribution in the caption. Here is the substance of the attribution license:

OK, so at this level, I have the following concerns:

• The file format of the image stored in my camera
• The file format used to transfer the image from the camera to my computer
• The format I use to store the format and use it 
• The copyright implications of the image
• Any possible use by others of the image

Now we come to the issue of loss. What could happen to this original image sitting on my computer?

• The image could be erased by accident or intention
• The image could be stored in a format that could not be opened by any program I own or have access to
• The image could be altered and the original unsaved
• My computer system could become obsolete and the image lost
• My entire computer could be lost by theft, natural disaster or other occurrence

Obviously, this list could go on. 

If you have images, genealogical data files, documents etc. on your computer, then those files probably have a variety of file formats. Over time, these formats may change or be abandoned. The effect will be that the files will become more and more difficult to open or may not be able to be opened at all. The process of maintaining those digital files is called data migration. 

In short, any file type on your computer is subject to ultimate loss over time. Either through technological advance or through the natural consequences of change over time, file formats become obsolete. Backing up you files is a really good idea. It is also a really good idea to have a backup system that includes making a complete copy of your files in a physical location other than your own house or dwelling place. I had a discussion recently about someone who was worried about having multiple copies of her files on different hard drives. That is not a problem, it is called backing up your files. But even careful backup is not enough.

You need to be well aware of file obsolescence. Take the time to examine your older files and move them from older storage media to newer media. The classic example is the having data stored on 3.5 inch floppy disks (or older) and now trying to recover the files. You may very well be able to recover the files, but may not have any program that will open the recovered files. Periodically move you files to newer programs. You may find that the older files, even within the same program, are now unreadable by the newest versions of the file. 

Here is another example to conclude this post. What if you used a very popular program called Aldus Pagemaker and created a history of your family. Now you want to use that file today. How would you go about opening the Pagemaker file? Are you aware of a program that will read Pagemaker files? How long will the programs that can read Pagemaker files be available?

Think about it.