I started a website called MacGenealogist.com in July of 2008. On that website I published instructional videos teaching people how to research their family histories using the leading genealogy software for the Macintosh computer. In October of that year I began covering the leading Windows genealogy software on a sister website called PCGenealogist.com (the content of which has since been moved to GenealogyTools.com). I wanted the videos on both sites to be focused on carrying out specific family history research processes so I studied the available methodologies and researched the commonly performed tasks.

After a year and fifty or so videos, I noticed that all of the major genealogy programs were focused on collecting conclusions, but not the evidence and arguments for those conclusions. They were focused on the end of the process! That left genealogists and family historians to figure out the most difficult part. I decided to develop a genealogy program that was focused on making the research and analysis of genealogical evidence clearer and easier. I wanted the software to be usable by everyone, regardless of their choice of Windows or Mac, so I chose to create a web-based solution. [Read more…]

I started my next project. Actually, it’s a BHAG—big, hairy, audacious goal. I’m building a source-based genealogy application. It will be an Internet application, so your operating system of choice is irrelevant. Here’s my concise description:

An Internet application for recording, analyzing, and presenting chains of genealogical evidence and the lineages they document.

I’m calling it Lineascope™.