correspondence

Correspondence is an exchange of writtem communication. The root word "co-respondent," implies the reciprocal nature of the communication. Today, the word is often used to mean any type of communication issued, whether or not a reply is received.

Genealogists may correspond with family members, distant relatives, and various repositories, in the process of gathering family history information. The means of correspondence has changed from the early days of writing letters by hand, and later, writing letters on a typewriter, delivered by land or air through a postal service, to today's electronic correspondence, sent to around the world over computer networks in a matter of seconds.