GEDCOM file are a special type of file used in the creation of genealogical data bases. The files below are working drafts of my family history projects. You will need a genealogical software package to open them, and I have provided recommendations to two free packages below.

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Files for the Rogers/Crump Ancestry

This project is divided into two files because of its size, and even split, these files may take a while to download. Part I deals primarily American ancestors, though a few lines reach into England. Part II is what is collected to date regarding the ancestry of Thomas Dudley (Generation #11)--the Dudley ancestry traces back to several royal and noble families in medieval Europe.

• Part I. The Ancestry of Vern Elijah Rogers and Celia Frances Crump

• Part II. The Ancestry of Thomas Dudley of Massachusetts

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Files for Plattel-DeJonghe Ancestry

• GEDCOM

 

Confidence Levels for Sources

The data sets include the ability to rate citations by confidence in their accuracy. My ratings are for the quality of the source overall, not the specific pieces of information. (Good sources can have erroneous information, and poor quality sources can have good pieces of information.) These codes are in transition in the files, but here is what I am moving toward:

 

(1) Very high: Primary sources, such as birth certifications, marriage registrations, death certificates, census records, newspaper accounts, family Bibles, and transcripts and indexes summarizing official records.

 

(2) High: Research with appropriate footnotes, including but not limited to principal secondary genealogical research such as Weiss et al.'s Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists (8th ed., 2004), Cawley's Medieval Lands, and Cockayne's Complete Peerage.

 

(3) Normal: Family histories and local histories, where the author(s) draws on personal, family, or local knowledge. Footnotes may be present, but not sufficient.

 

(4) Low: Crowd sourced, mostly items taken from Wikipedia. These sources are used to supplement other materials. For historical genealogical research, the issue is not accuracy as much as whether the material is up to date. In general, I find Wikipedia useful with this project.

 

(5) Very low: Personal sources, such as user-created family trees and personal web sites. Several errors have been found in these sources, though there are a few excellent ones. These materials are used as supplements to fill in missing details.

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Software Links

GEDCOM files can be  imported or opened in most standard genealogical software packages. I don't recommend using the files if you are not comfortable with loading software on your computer or get easily frustrated learning how to use a new computer application. I personally use GRAMPS, but a novice might find Family Tree Builder easier to use.

• GRAMPS​ (use the Import function under the "Family Trees" menu)

• Family Tree Builder (you don't have to sign up for an account--click through the screen)