Welcome to the links page.

Here you can find links to websites and software that I use in my family research. You may also find links here to other websites related to Bird family history.

If your site is related to this site in someway and you would like to have a link placed here then please contact me with your request, the URL to your site and an explanation of it's relevance so I can review it for inclusion.

Genealogy software I use and recommend

Roots Magic

Roots Magic is the software I use to store and maintain all my family research. All of the information I gather first gets inserted into RootsMagic and from then I can export it to a format I can then upload to websites like my own one here. Why did I choose this software? My decision to choose RootsMagic was not one that was rushed - I spent a good couple of weeks investigating all sorts of programs; I was already a long-term Legacy user, and tested a number of pieces of software. I felt that Roots Magic provided the most comprehensive tools (comparable to so-called professional programs like The Master Genealogist) but with an interface that wasn't over complicated and daunting. It's well thought out, well maintained and has a good support forum. I once submitted a bug report and got a response from the program author himself. Thoroughly recommended.

Family Atlas

Family Atlas is written by the same guys that wrote RootsMagic. It enables you to plot events on a map from your family tree database.

Website creation tools I recommend

The main tools I use in web creation are HTML and CSS. I chucked this site together with these two and another little item called PHP, which is a scripting language. It helps me do some funky stuff.

If you don't know anything about web programming and want to start your own site, don't be scared by the Acronyms. HTML refers to the markup you add to your webpage text so that a browser knows how to display it. CSS refers to a method of formating the HTML so it looks nice (like my site) :)

If your running a Windows based computer then the chances are you will have access to a program called Frontpage - part of the Microsoft office suite. It's a tool most suited to those starting out and has a more beginner friendly 'drap and drop' methodology and lot of this 'code' will be written for you. I don't use this one myself but it's a good tool to get you started.

If you want more control and would like to get your hand's dirty and start learning some HTML and CSS, check out the W3Schools website for some truly awesome beginner tutorials. Basic HTML is nothing to be afraid of and is in fact pretty easy to master.

--> For a beginners HTML tutorial check out this excellent resource here.

--> For a beginners CSS tutorial check out another excellent resource here

Using HTML and CSS you can create a website using just a text editor, like WordPad or NotePad. In fact, I'm writing this page in WordPad. Sometimes for a quick edit it's just easier. For a bit more project organisation and some useful tools I use the following:

Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express

It's free and it's great. For a personal web-site builder this tool rocks.

Web hosting

110mb Web Hosting

Most people setting up a personal family tree website are probably doing it so that other family members can view their research, or maybe so they can get in contact with other people worldwide who are researching the same family name.

Either way, your site is unlikely, at least initially, to have a massive volume of visitors. However, you may want to store items like family photographs and documents that may take up quite a lot of space and bandwidth. You might not even know if you have the knowledge or time to support your own website long term. For these reasons, initially you would probably want to try and find a free host.

110mb is a good place to start. Why?

At the time of writing they fully support PHP5 which can be used to run genealogy scripts like PhpGedView.
The forums are active and existing members, including myself are always ready to lend support, advice and a helping hand in any area.
The bandwith and storage limits are exceptional. You'll never come close with a personal family tree website.
It's free.

Click the image to visit the site.

Non-genealogical websites I recommend

CSS Play

CSS Play is a website run by Stu Nicholls and has some superb examples of how to use CSS to perform different effects including slideshows, menubars and others.

Other Genealogy Websites

If your personal surname site is somehow relevant to the tree here at "Bird Family Tree", and you would like your site displayed then please contact me.

Hurrell Family History and Ancestry

A website documenting Hurrell family history that also features ties to the Arbon family from Wordwell.