Thegenealogist

EASE OF USE 5.6/10

TheGenealogist’s redesigned front page looks quite inviting, but our readers found it less appealing once they started digging deeper. In addition to struggling with the Tree View when trying to see a single generation of her tree, Julie also noted that “the layout of searches is not very intuitive”. Kay described the user interface as “dated in parts”, but found it “fairly easy to navigate”.

POWER OF SEARCH 6.5/10

The search tool left our readers divided, although a new beta function is rolling out to improve the look of search results. Julie disliked having to change the ‘Year of event’ date depending on whether she was searching for a birth or marriage. However, TheGenealogist did score points for its address and family search options. Dave praised its searches for double-barrelled and composite surnames, as well as name searches within book texts.

FAMILY TREE-BUILDING AND HINTS 7.5/10

TheGenealogist’s tree-building tool is based on its TreeView software. It divided our panel, with Lisa finding it “quite difficult and disjointed”. Both Dave and Julie commended its GEDCOM-uploading abilities, but Dave felt the presentation was “a bit of a mess” while Julie found entering data “long-winded”. At the other end of the scale, Kay concluded that despite the “dated” user interface, “It was surprisingly simple to use and I loved it!”

CORE UK RECORDS 6.6/10

Kay describes TheGenealogist as her “go-to site for census searching” thanks to its ability to cross-reference individuals across counties and years. She also praised the quality of census images, especially for 1841, finding them easier to read. However, Dave pointed out that some records – including the 1939 Register and many of its parish register collections – were transcription-only. The website also has very few exclusive parish collections.

SPECIALIST UK COLLECTIONS 7.2/10

Our panel appreciated two of the main exclusive specialist collections on TheGenealogist: tithe-map records and the Valuation Office Survey (also known as the Lloyd George Domesday Survey). Although Kay lamented the “slow progress” on the Valuation Office Survey rollout which left much of the UK still not covered and a strong emphasis on the south-east. These records, along with census records, work well with its Map Explorer