To accomplish my goals, I started recording every name that had a connection. I soon realized, that this project was developing into more than just genealogy research. I was recording the Smoky Mountain culture and linking it all together. The area is rather unique, being settled after the Revolutionary War and not changing much for 150 years because of the mountainous isolation. Large families were more common than not with 10 or more being the norm (my great great grandfather Ephraim Reagan had 24 kids).
I also came to the realization that much of the unique culture was disappearing. In just a few years the area has become a tourist Mecca. A second immigration has occurred and pioneer land is being developed. Many of the original homesteads have been destroyed and replaced by new developments. Where once was just gravel roads at best, are now major thoroughfares. Thus, it has become a race for time, attempting to record as much before it is lost forever.
In May of 1995, I attended a McMahan reunion in Sevier County, TN where I printed up what I had on Archibald McMahan's descendants. Soon I was getting barraged with requests for this document, but I only printed 17 and found it economically and logistically unfeasible to publish more. To allow others to view this data, I posted it on my first genealogy web page using Gene Stark's GED2HTML tool. The response was overwhelming with a new cousin contacting me on a weekly basis.
I soon realized I had to post all my data to effectively and efficiently answer queries that began flooding in to my e-mail address and snail mail address. However, the tools available at the time could not handle the volume of data I had accumulated. In addition, I wanted a better looking format that eased navigation since I was getting many comments on traversing difficulties. I thus buckled down and wrote my own program on a Friday night after work and had it completed by Saturday evening (after many cups of coffee).
In retrospect, it was a rather overwhelming accomplishment. The web site contains 65,565 entries with over 300 megabytes of data and is visited daily by over 100 visitors who download over 10 megabytes. I now get, on average, over 40 queries and connect with 2 new cousins a day.
The first level of index gives you seven segments to choose with nearly 10,000 names each. This narrows it down to 100 groups of 100 names each. Thus the first layer is an index of an index of indexes and the second level is an index of indexes. Surnames are highlighted in bold to avoid confusion with the given name and the lowest level index includes birth and death date when available. At the bottom of the page are links to the "Previous" index page and the "Next" index page of the same index level. Also, you can jump back to the top level index page by pressing the "Index" link.
Therefore, to find a name in the database requires only three clicks and a few page scrolls. Another advantage of this navigation scheme, you can quickly find adjacent entries with common surnames.
All the index data is also included in Gene Stark's GenDex WWW genealogical index. And if you are interested in connections with other databases, you can check out the GenMatch project.
The five generation pedigree chart is best viewed with a browser
that supports tables in color. Some of the old browsers that don't
fully support tables and colored cells really don't do it justice.
Print outs also are not as clear for the same reason. Using tables
for the pedigree chart handles different screen sizes transparently
(try increasing and decreasing the width and notice it automatically
adjusts). Each individual has their own page with full name and
vital information in the upper left hand corner. If available,
birth, christening, death, and burial dates and/or locations are
included.
At the root of the pedigree chart is the subject of the page. Notice that each of the ancestors are underlined, thus indicating a link. Clicking on their name takes you to their page. Where room allows, additional vital records are displayed for the ancestors. Additional generations are indicated by > at the right of the fifth generation when available. Thus, you can quickly determine if the chart continues without jumping to the fifth generation.
Underneath the subject of the pedigree chart is the spouse, marriage date and place when available. If there is more than one marriage, it is indicated with a plus sign (+) and the marriage number. Clicking on this plus sign toggles through the other marriages.
Notes follow the list of children when available. Source citations are listed in italics. As in the index pages, Index, Previous and Next links jump to the top index page, the previous or next person respectfully.
All of the above was automatically generated from my GEDCOM file using the program that I wrote. I have additionally added some pictures to pages by hand but plan to have this automatically added in the next database update.
Many more have contributed to this project than I could properly acknowledge. Much of the data is from authors who have not objected to the posting of their data on the Internet. Please show them your appreciation by purchasing their books (see bibliography).
I cannot guarantee data sent to me will be posted. At present, I'm far behind because I am struggling with the 65k limit in my genealogy program. Any data contributed will contain a citation of your name, address, e-mail and phone number unless you request otherwise. If there is data you don't want me to post, then don't send it to me.
I am unable to find time to respond to snail mail correspondence. I apologize to those trying to make a connection using this method. I suggest finding a friend with e-mail capability.
In the majority of the cases, what you see on my web page is all I have, so if I don't get back to you through e-mail, I don't have any more to contribute. Of course, sometimes things fall through the cracks, so a gentle reminder e-mail may be suggested. You may find it helpful to submit a query to the Smoky Mountain Historical Society Journal, instead.
Each of the above will be fixed in a future update.
When is the next update? Well, I have not added additional names to my database yet because I'm not confident of the upgrade. I presently use PAF which has a limit of 65, 535 entries. I plan on porting to The Master Genealogist for Windows which does not have this limit, but I am hesitant. I may just wait for PAF 3.0 since I understand it supports more names and the 5.5 GEDCOM standard (better source citations).