Association for Computer Genealogy

The Association for Computer Genealogy (German: Verein für Computergenealogie, abbreviated CompGen) is a German non-profit organization, founded in 1989 in Dortmund, Germany. Initially called the Association for the Promotion of Computer-Aided Genealogical Research, the aim of the association is to "promote scientific research in genealogical related fields". The official webpage is only in German.

As of 2022, CompGen has a global membership of over 4,200 people in cooperation with other German genealogical research organizations.

CompGen operates its own web services, including a database, forums and mailing lists. They also work with other genealogical projects such as GenWiki. Members can publish their results through the association without advertising.[1]

CompGen uses a "Historical Place Directory", a project that creates a location database, useful for family researchers, historians and sociologists.

With the data-entry-system (DES) for historical personal data, the association has created a technical basis for historical crowdsourcing projects. Users can record digitalized printed or handwritten sources into the database.[2]

After an initial recording project during the 100th anniversary of the First World War from 2014 to 2018, CompGen was able to record around 8 million personal data records from official casualty and death listings of German soldiers during the First World War (1914–1918).[3]

The association is now expanding in recording historical address directories, police reports and church registers.

All data and information provided can be used online free of charge, even by non-members.

The association publishes a quarterly magazine, Computergenealogie (CG), subscription to which is included in the membership fee.

In addition, a 200-page booklet "Familienforschung (Ancestry research made easy - computer genealogy for everyone)" is published at irregular intervals.[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ Database Search Link (in German): https://www.compgen.de/recherchieren/#datenbanken 2.https://www.forbes.com/health/wellness/best-genealogy-websites/
  2. ^ Data Entry System (in German): https://des.genealogy.net/
  3. ^ World War One Casualty Lists (CompGen) (in German): https://wiki.genealogy.net/Verlustlisten_Erster_Weltkrieg
  4. ^ CompGen – offen, vernetzt, geschichtsbegeistert! In: CompGen – unser Verein. 2020. Verein für Computergenealogie e. V. (CompGen). Auf CompGen.de, retrieved 6 December 2020.
edit