Why ResearchTies? The purpose of ResearchTies is to improve the research quality and efficiency of genealogists. For decades, we have all kept our logs on paper, in word processors, or on spreadsheets. Inevitably, we search through paper print-outs by hand to try and figure out what searches have been done, what results have been found, and which documents are relevant to the question at hand. Spreadsheets provide more sorting capacity than word processors, but they require significant duplicate data entry in order to have the necessary fields to sort.

Jill’s graduate work involved a research project tracking and analyzing genealogical and historical data for a thousand people. Using traditional research logs was totally inadequate, so she designed a basic relational database to sort and sift through the large volume of material she gathered. It became painfully obvious that genealogical research logs needed to move into the computer age. After graduation, Jill created a more powerful prototype to explain to computer programmers what genealogists need in order to track their research and the volumes of documents they acquire. The result of that effort is ResearchTies, an online research log now available to all genealogists and historians.

About Research Ties Software

ResearchTies allows users to record a research objective and the sources to search in order to meet their objective. It streamlines the data entry of search results, allowing users to spend more of their time at an archive conducting the actual searches. Links to online results can be created, and digital images of documents can be uploaded.

When family historians enter their log information into ResearchTies, they then have a powerful search engine to sort and sift their work on multiple variables. Users can quickly locate all documents for an individual, generate a “to do” list for their next research session, determine which record groups have been searched for a surname in various jurisdictions, and much more. Most importantly, when digital images and online links are used, researchers can instantly locate and open documents for analysis and correlation of the data. This process eliminates significant duplication of effort. Not only are researchers more efficient with their time, but the quality of their work improves with the ability to easily study and compare research results.

Jill Crandell

Jill N. Crandell, MA, AG® is the president and CEO of ResearchTies. She is also an assistant teaching professor and director of the Center for Family History and Genealogy at Brigham Young University. She holds an MA in history and a BA in family history, and she is accredited in Midwest U.S. research. Jill has been a professional genealogist for over 30 years. 

Earl Mott

Earl Mott is Vice President of ResearchTies. He holds an MBA as well as a BA in Mechanical Engineering. Earl became involved in computer systems long before the personal computer burst onto the scene. He has worked with computer systems for such companies as John Deere, Haworth, Black & Decker and i2 Technologies. Earl is the founder of Real-Time Collaboration.

Andrea Nelson

Andrea Nelson holds a BA in Family History from Brigham Young University and specializes in British research. Andrea has taught family history to groups and individuals in many different settings. She is a conference assistant at ResearchTies, presenting classes and answering questions at the exhibit booths.

Melissa Phelps

Melissa Phelps holds a BA from Brigham Young University-Idaho and is an Administrative Assistant at ResearchTies.