What Is Genealogical Data Communication (GEDCOM)?

It's a life-long struggle. You must repeatedly deal with the same questions: What do you want for dinner? Do you need to buy more milk? How many times have you seen that movie? Then there are the big ones: What was your mother's maiden name? How did your great-great-grandparents meet? It's simple to get lost in the day-to-day minutiae, but it's important to remember that every little detail can help solve one of these mysteries—or at least give you a clue! The Genealogical Data Communication (GEDCOM) format was created to help genealogists keep track of all their data and ensure it's organized and accessible. A GEDCOM format has ".ged" as a file extension (if not, don't trust it). The GEDCOM format is just an electronic file that contains all of your family history information in an organized way. This makes it easier for genealogy software dealing with such information to interact (store and exchange) with each other. GEDCOM files are your best friend. They're like an old-fashioned pen pal: they'll always be there for you and won't tell anyone about your weird collection of medical records. The first GEDCOM files were introduced in 1984 in their raw form, but today they're much more sophisticated than their predecessors. GEDCOM files can be opened by Personal Ancestral File (PAF) or other genealogical software and interpreted into useful information. They're lightweight and easy to email as an attachment—so you can share them with distant cousins across the country! They also let you import this data into several programs, which means you can use it again if needed. So next time your cousin calls asking if you have any info on their great-great-grandmother's third husband's second wife (they do exist), send her a GEDCOM file!