Useful Gadgets for Genealogists

Here are some useful gadgets that genealogists should find useful:

Doxie Go SE – The Intuitive Portable Scanner with Rechargeable Battery and Software

This very well-regarded portable scanner can be used without a computer. It uses re-chargeable batteries so doesn’t need to be plugged into a power outlet. The Doxie comes with an SD card and can store up to 4000 scans before you need to transfer to your computer. It is lightweight and the size of a rolled-up magazine. The included software is easy to use and includes OCR technology to recognize text in a scanned document.

See it on Amazon here

All In One Film Scanner

This scanner can convert 35mm, 126PK, 110 and Super 8 (cine) negatives to jpegs which can be saved onto your computer. The device comes with holders for the different film formats, a USB lead, a TV connection cable, a mains plug, a lens cleaning brush and an instruction manual. It is a stand alone device and has a built in memory that can store up to 50 images. There is a slot for an SD card, but it does not come with one. I do recommend that you use an SD card as you will be able to store a lot more pictures.

Click here to see it on Amazon

Please see my post on digitizing film for more information on this product.

USB Cassette to MP3 Converter, Portable Walkman Cassette Audio Music Player Tape-to-MP3 Converter

This product looks like the original Walkman cassette tape player. You can use it to record your tapes onto a FAT32 USB drive (not included). After recording, you can upload the files onto your computer and edit them using free software.

Click here to see it on Amazon

See the digitizing audio cassettes article for a closer look at a similar product.

Genscriber

Genscriber is a free transcription editor for your PC or Mac which can make transcribing old genealogy documents like census returns and wills easier to manage. It saves you having to use two screens or printing out a document. I find it a very useful tool and easy to use.

Click here to go to Genscriber.com and to download the software

HP Sprocket Photo Printer X7N07A

This device is the same size as a smart phone and prints 2″x 3″ photos on sticky-backed paper. You download the HP app and can download and print images from your social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram and flickr.  It’s small size means that it is very portable, so great for taking with you when you meet relatives.

Click here to see it on Amazon. 

Photomyne

Photomyne is an app for your phone (Apple or Android) that lets you easily scan and save photographs. There are automatic cropping and enhancing features as well as a facility to allow the addition of dates, locations etc.

Click here to go to Photomyne.com and to download the app.

Gramps free family tree software

I would recommend that anyone researching their family history should use family tree software to organize and plan their research. Many people (myself included) start out using online trees, realize the limitations, and then move on to software which include many more features such as the ability to generate reports and charts.

I currently use Family Tree Maker, a paid for program, which I like a lot, but I started off using Gramps which is a free open source family tree program. I used it for a couple of years without any problems and I would recommend it if you don’t want to buy software at this stage. It doesn’t have all the features that FTM has, but it’s well thought out and relatively easy to use.

There are more tools in the Bespoke Genealogy Resources section.

Happy researching!

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