7 Family History Websites for Instant Inspiration
December 30, 2024
If you’re passionate about tracing your roots and have often considered sharing your findings with your family and the world, take this as a sign to do it. Creating a family history website is a fantastic way to preserve and showcase your genealogy research.
To get your creative juices flowing, we’ve put together a list of a few family history sites to inspire you.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’re looking for some inspiration, these family history websites and hosting tools can give you the ideas you need to take the plunge and set up your family’s website.
Inspirational Family History Websites We Love
1. Walker Family Website
Serving as the hub for the Walker family history, this site also connects extended family members through occasional meetups, a family newsletter, and volunteer opportunities.
What we love: The clean design and simple navigation make using the site a pleasure for visitors. It’s a reminder that clarity often wins over complexity.
2. The Bulls of Derbyshire
Timothy De Paris’s site focuses on the lineage of the Bull family of Derbyshire, combining detailed family group information with a personal touch.
What we love: The homepage is simple yet elegant, and we particularly like the header image of the Derbyshire landscape and the map showing the family’s movement across the globe.
3. Louisiana Genealogy Web
Although this site is not technically a family history website, we couldn’t help but include it on this list because it’s such a good example of how historical or genealogical information can be presented on a website. It’s visually appealing while also hosting tons of important data.
What we love: The site is easy to use, with eye-catching historical photographs.
4. Kloosterman Genealogy
This bilingual website showcases the rich history of the Kloosterman family from Zeeland in the Netherlands. The website’s creator, Cees Kloosterman, has done a great job of showcasing not only his family’s history, but also his passion for genealogy.
What we love: By including translations, Cees Kloosterman has made his site accessible to a much wider audience.
5. Greeff Family Genealogy
Featuring extensive source documentation and family connections, this website effectively presents detailed family trees, photos, and historical documents. It is a great resource for anyone looking for facts or information connected to Greeff ancestry.
What we love: It’s good to be reminded that the information on one family history site might be the essential steppingstone in someone else’s genealogical research.
6. Jacobs Family History
A testament to deep research and dedication, this site features intricate details about the Jacobs family. Like the previous example, this site has a ton of detailed information, but it is all very easily and simply organized so that users can quickly find what they are looking for.
What we love: The pie chart showcasing the most common surnames in the family tree is a fun addition.
7. Bryant Knight’s Ancestors
Bryant Knight’s family history website is a good example of a minimalist design paired with an easy-to-use layout. The use of a striking historical photograph on the home page is especially striking. Plus, Ahnentafel numbering adds a specialized feature for dedicated family historians.
What we love: The interactive map showcasing important locations in the Knight family history is fun to use and gives a great overview of the family’s past.
5 Top Tips for Creating Your Family History Website
Creating a genealogy or family history website doesn’t have to be daunting. With the right resources and a clear plan, the process can be easy and enjoyable.
Here are a few tips and tools to make the process smoother.
1. Start with a clear purpose.
Decide what you want your site to achieve. Are you aiming to share family stories, build a comprehensive tree, or create a collaborative hub for family?
Knowing what your goals are can help keep you focused on the necessary tasks without becoming overwhelmed by unlimited possibilities.
2. Use templates or hosting services.
Platforms like Genealogy Web Templates and Humo-gen provide ready-made designs tailored to genealogists and family historians. Another option is TribalPages, which allows you to host your site as well as create it using its beginner-friendly templates.
3. Incorporate multimedia.
Looking at the websites above, it’s clear that using aesthetically pleasing images, especially historical ones, can go a long way to creating an eye-catching family history website.
Adding family photos or scanned historical documents to your site is a great way to showcase your research and help bring your ancestors’ stories to life.
4. Focus on accessibility.
It can be tempting to start setting up your site with no thought to how it will be used, but take a moment to think about the best ways to navigate around the site.
Our favorite websites are easy to use for visitors, and that should be your goal, too. Ensure all menus and navigation tools are clearly marked and the site has a straightforward structure that is simple to follow.
5. Don’t forget about privacy.
With family history, it’s tempting to put everything plus the kitchen sink on there, but remember that this is the internet, and you don’t know who might access the information or how they might use it.
We suggest keeping personal details of living relatives blanked out or hidden. If you have the resources, you might consider setting up your website so that certain areas are only available to approved members.
Start building your legacy today.
Creating a family history website is a meaningful way to not only preserve but also share your genealogy work with others. In contrast with free genealogy sites (that might not be around forever), when you create a family history site, you retain control over it and access to it.
Creating a family history site is a fun way to share your passion for genealogy with the world. By going digital, you can create a lasting resource that connects the past to the future, ensuring your stories are shared for generations to come.