2006 marks the 10th Anniversary of the USGenWeb Project and I have been looking back over those past 10 years. When the USGenWeb Project began, it was one of the few (if not the only) centralized places on the internet to find genealogy information and post a query. Those early state and county sites began with links to the small amount of on-line information of interest to a family historian and a query page. The only Special Project was the Archives. How far the Project has come during the past 10 years! Now there are several special projects and the states, counties and special projects sites of the Project not only contain links; they are filled with information and transcribed records, and more is being added every day by our wonderful, dedicated and hard working volunteers.

Ten years ago the internet, as we know it today, was in its infancy. The things we take for granted today--e-mail, PCs, cell phones, digital cameras, etc., were not in the average person's world. Family historians and professional genealogists not only didn't use the internet, most had never heard of it.

Over the past 10 years the internet has gone from obscurity to commonplace. As the internet became an every day tool for millions of people. it changed the way family historians do research. The availability of on-line, easily accessible genealogy and historical information has fueled the phenomenal growth of Genealogy as a hobby and, I'm proud to say, the Project has been right there every step of the way.

Everywhere we look we see genealogy reported as the fastest growing hobby in the country. Now the internet is the first stop for beginning family historians and is used extensively by experienced researchers. New "How To" genealogy books devote chapters to using the internet, and it is a rare book that does not recommend The USGenWeb Project as one of the first places to visit.

While subscription sites have popped up everywhere on the web, The Project has continued to offer free access to its vast wealth of information. The USGenWeb Project is recognized as the premier site of free information, and the Project's websites welcome well over a million visitors each day.

The Project is where it is today because of the thousands of volunteers, both past and present, who cared enough to devote, collectively, millions of hours to gathering, transcribing and uploading information.

To each and every volunteer, past and present, a heartfelt Thank You, because you are ones who have made The Project the fabulous resource it is today.

Linda Haas Davenport
National Coordinator
The USGenWeb Project