GeneJournal

I use several different tools when working on WikiTree profiles. Most are web browser extensions. I mainly use Chrome for working on WikiTree, but that’s primarily because I use Firefox for regular browsing and I’m a tab hoarder. Most of the below extensions are available for both Chrome and Firefox (and many Chrome plugins can be installed in Edge and Opera and some others). Here is a non-comprehensive list of WikiTree apps and browser extensions.

Extra: I’ve created a mini WikiTree guide that is being stored on Google Docs because it’s easier to update it there (it also has screenshots and a table of contents). It’s available for anyone to access via this link. It contains general WikiTree information as well as information specific to WikiTree’s US Black Heritage Project.

Browser Extensions

These are installed from your browser’s web store. See: Instructions for Firefox; Instructions for Chrome; Instructions for Safari.

• The WikiTree Browser Extension
  • This is a mega extension that combines the functionality of multiple other extensions (parts of WikiTree BEE, all of the WikiTree+ extension, all of WikiTree AGC, and parts of others). If you also have WikiTree BEE installed the duplicate features shouldn’t conflict with each other. I’m not sure about the others.
  • It’s currently available for Chromium-based browsers, Firefox, and Safari.
  • Note: it can’t create a new profile on WikiTree from a profile or record on another website. See WikiTree BEE, WikiTree X, or WikiTree Sourcer for that functionality.
• WikiTree AGC
  • It cleans up profiles that were imported from a GEDCOM file (which is created by family tree software or by exporting your family tree from a website) and still has the “junk” in it. AGC stands for “Automatic GEDCOM Cleanup”. AGC functionality is now part of the WikiTree Browser Extension though the standalone version is still being supported for now.
  • Available for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
• WikiTree BEE
  • I primarily used it to auto-create WikiTree profile biographies from vital data (i.e. name, birthdate/birth place, parents, etc.) and to change the way profiles look. It can also:
    • Can use a record from FamilySearch, Ancestry, FindAGrave, and others (NOT a profile) to fill in fields on the WikiTree new profile page. (Chrome only)
    • Create citations for records from FamilySearch, Ancestry, and many other sites.
    • Can change the way profiles look to make them easier to work with (color-coding, child and sibling lists, etc.).
    • Adds a toolbar to the top of the profile with buttons for showing family timeline, ancestors, and more.
    • Adds a location helper (will color code and move to the top the ones that also match other relatives).
    • Adds a Google search box to the bottom of profiles.
    • Adds helpful buttons and boxes to the G2G forum pages.
  • Available for Chrome and Firefox.
  • Will likely be discontinued after all/most of BEE’s features are implemented in the WikiTree Browser Extension.
• WikiTree Sourcer
  • Automatically creates inline, narrative, and source citations from certain websites (I use it for FamilySearch and Ancestry). Can also:
    • Create a WikiTree table from a census record (Build Household Table).
    • Search for similar records on other sites when used on a record page.
    • Can create a WikiTree profile from a profile or record page on sites such as FamilySearch, Ancestry, FindMyPast, and others.
    • Can update the data on a WikiTree profile using data from a profile or record on another site (MergeEdit).
  • Available for Chromium-based browsers, Firefox, and Safari.
• WikiTree X
  • Extracts data from profiles on other websites (FamilySearch, Ancestry, and several others) and automatically inserts it into the appropriate fields in the WikiTree profile creation form.
  • Only available for Chrome.
  • Note: no longer being maintained. WikiTree BEE and WikiTree Sourcer can also create new WikiTree profiles, but not in the same way. The new profile creation process on WikiTree is incompatible with this extension and it’s supposed to stop working once the profile creation process is out of beta. WikiTree Sourcer (not sure about BEE) will continue to work.

WikiTree Apps

These are web apps that work in most/all web browsers. WikiTree has many more of them.

• Family Group: Gathers data for all of a person’s immediate family together on a color-coded and organized page including source lists and research notes. This helped me figure out that I had included a child twice in a family (he was recorded by two different names in censuses and Family Group made it easy to see there was no census overlap between them). You can also get to it by using the tree icon on the WikiTree BEE profile toolbar (it’s made by the creator of WikiTree BEE).
• WikiTree+: A complex app/service with lots of features that differs from the standalone browser extension. It produces suggestions for profiles, analyses, reports, and has a robust search function. It can be used to find people who are missing parents, children, etc., display quality suggestions for the profiles that you manage, and much more.

Others (not WikiTree specific)

• MyBib: Free Citation Generator
  • An extension that generates citations for webpages in a variety of styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc). Citations can be saved to a project.
  • Only available for Chrome, but there are a variety of similar plugins for other browsers.
• BibItNow!
  • An extension that generates citations for webpages in a variety of styles (MLA, APA, etc). Does not support Chicago (WikiTree’s chosen citation style) out of the box but there is a way to add new citation styles. I haven’t been able to find one already made for Chicago, unfortunately. I’ve used MLA because it’s not that dissimilar. This was the best extension for Firefox that I could find. It’s also available for other browsers, but it doesn’t say which ones.
• tab2wiki
  • A web app that creates a wiki table from spreadsheet data. You can copy and paste data from Excel, Google Sheets, and others. It works for any site based on MediaWiki (the software that runs Wikipedia and the base of the software that runs WikiTree).
• CSV to Wiki Table Converter
  • Similar to tab2Wiki but specifically for CSV data (various delimiters). It has no wiki table display options, but you can add them manually later.