To Share or Not to Share: What to Do With My Genealogy Research? - Genealogy Research Quest Pt 5

Genealogy research takes dedication, time, and—let’s be honest—quite a bit of patience. But after all those hours of digging, documenting, and double-checking, a new question arises: what’s the best way to share it? Should we simply keep it to ourselves, or is there a way to share our work that benefits others without losing control over our research?

Let me take you on my journey as I faced my second research crisis while researching the Ohio 133rd Infantry—specifically, what do I do with all the data I've gathered so that others connected to this Civil War military unit benefit?

Challenges of Sharing Genealogy Research: Risks and Rewards of Making Your Findings Public

Once you've built a collection of well-researched genealogy findings, the idea of sharing it might seem daunting. After all, posting data on public platforms or sending it to institutions comes with risks: Will others misunderstand or misinterpret your work? Will your data remain accessible to future researchers? And if you’ve relied on unique sources or dug up details that others haven’t, how do you protect the integrity of your findings?

On top of that, genealogy research platforms come with their own quirks. Many don’t allow direct uploads, making it challenging to share efficiently. Others may have limitations on updates or leave your data stranded on an obscure part of the web, where future genealogists may never see it.

Overcoming Common Obstacles When Sharing Family History Data

I found myself facing these same dilemmas after researching William Townsend’s service in the Civil War. Originally, my plan was simple: trace William’s life and include context about the men he served with to bring his story to life. But as my research grew, I had a treasure trove of information on Company K and the over 900 soldiers William served alongside. I wanted to make my findings available so that others wouldn’t have to retrace every step, but I quickly ran into obstacles.

I first thought, “I’ll just put it all in my Google Sheets file!” But that posed a new issue: not every platform or archive accepts spreadsheet uploads.

Possible Platforms for Sharing Genealogy Research

So, what’s the solution? Here are a few options that might fit various needs, along with some tips I found helpful for each.

Spreadsheet File Sharing Options:

Share my Google Sheets File: I considered sending my spreadsheet to the Ohio State Archives and Libraries, thinking it would make a great resource. But they don’t accept electronic publications. I get it—it’s hard to manage and archive spreadsheets, so I crossed that idea off the list.
The Ohio Genealogical Society’s Civil War Genealogy Center: This seemed promising because genealogical societies are such valuable resources! But their archives are behind a paywall, and I’d rather make my research freely available. If the Society would accept it as a public resource, I’d be interested in hearing from them!
Ohio Civil War Central: This independent website, run by historians and developers, ranks well in Google Search. Other researchers might find my work here, but I’m on the fence about whether this site would be the best fit.
Genealogy Trails: This option is still on the table. With military pages that resemble spreadsheets, particularly those on the Ohio Genealogy Trails page, it’s a good fit. My only concern is whether other 133rd Ohio researchers would think to look here. Still, the idea of having my research in multiple places is appealing, so I might reach out.
Create a Website for the Ohio 133rd: I thought about building my own website dedicated to the 133rd Ohio, like other dedicated regiment sites.
- Here are three examples of people who are doing just that.
  - The 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry
  - The 11th Ohio Volunteer Calvary
  - The 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry
- But creating a website would position me as an “authority,” and that’s not what I set out to do. So, I moved on.

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Database Options:

Then there are the genealogy platforms—Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, Findmypast, and WikiTree.

Ancestry & MyHeritage: These sites allow GEDcom uploads. Ancestry even works with software like RootsMagic for easy syncing, but I’d have to decide whether I’d keep the research updated regularly.
FamilySearch: FamilySearch doesn’t allow direct GEDcom uploads to the main tree, but I could add my findings to their “Genealogies” section. However, this area isn’t consulted often by researchers, so I was hesitant.
WikiTree: WikiTree has a great project feature for regiments, and although it’s not ideal for ongoing research, it has possibilities.
Fold3 Memorial Pages: Fold3 recently improved by merging duplicate pages, which I’d inquired about months ago. But without a rapid upload feature, updating multiple profiles could be time-consuming.

Finding the Right Way to Share Your Family History Research

Ultimately, choosing where and how to share your genealogy research depends on your goals: do you want your work available to the public, or would you rather have some oversight on who accesses it? For now, I’ve made my decision and will be uploading my findings to a mix of public platforms and controlled databases.

If you’re on the fence about sharing your genealogy research or have tried any of the options I’ve mentioned, I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments. And remember, no matter where you decide to post, sharing family history can be rewarding, but it’s also a personal choice. I’ll be diving into the technical side of GEDCOM conversions and uploading in my next post—stay tuned!