the fab four
In the 60s, the Beatles burst into the world of rock ‘n roll and changed it forever. Their unique musical style raised the bar for pop music and catapulted John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr to global fame. The lyrics and lifestyles of the “Fab Four” reached well beyond the airwaves to influence fashion, politics and the very culture of an entire generation.
A quieter cultural shift has taken place in the past 20 years—this one in the world of family history. Online resorces have democratized genealogy, allowing anyone with an internet connection to participate. And thanks to DNA, many with unknown origins are finally finding answers. History’s previously invisible individuals—the poor, the powerless, the enslaved—are gradually being identified and celebrated by their descendants. You say you want a revolution? It’s happening.
Headlining this change is a different Fab Four: the websites Ancestry.com <www.ancestry.com>, FamilySearch <www.familysearch.org>, Findmypast <www.findmypast.com> and MyHeritage <www.myheritage.com>. Sure, many websites are crucial to online research efforts, just as many musicians shaped the sounds of the 60s. But these Fab Four are a head above the rest in supplying the billions of historical records, extensive family trees and genetic connections that power this new era of discovery.
What matters most is that a site has records for the place and time period you’re researching.
So which one of the Fab Four genealogy websites is the best? That’s like asking which Beatle is the greatest. Each brought unique talents and style to the recording studio, but all were needed to make the Beatles who they were.
Similarly, each of the FamilySearch, Findmypast and MyHeritage special. The world of genealogy may not having screaming fans (except occasionally at RootsTech), but the “greatest hits” album that follows will show you how each site makes us weak in the knees.
