Thursday, April 23, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Posted by Picasa2006 EWGS Volunteers at KSPS pledge drive.

FamilySearch News: Volunteers Transcribe 250 Million Historical Records

Incredible Effort Speeds Up Access to Online Genealogical Information

SALT LAKE CITY—FamilySearch volunteers reached a monumental milestone this week, transcribing their 250 millionth historical record. The incredible online initiative started in January 2006 with a few thousand volunteers and has now grown to be the largest Web-based initiative of its kind with over 100,000 volunteers worldwide. The 250 millionth record was part of the current Nicaragua Civil Registration indexing project online at index.familysearch.org—one of 45 projects being indexed by online volunteers. It was extracted by three different online indexers from Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras.

FamilySearch manages the largest collection of genealogical collections in the world—2.5 million rolls of microfilm and millions of additional digital images from over 100 countries worldwide.

For decades, FamilySearch has allowed the public to use its collection for free through 4,500 family history centers throughout the world. In 2005, it began to improve access to its collection by converting microfilm to digital images that could be searched online. The next step was to create an online tool that volunteers around the world could use to look at the digital images and extract relevant data that could then be published online in searchable indexes linked to the digital images. FamilySearch Indexing is that tool.

“What makes the 250 million record milestone even more impressive is the fact that each record was actually indexed at least twice to ensure accuracy,” reported Paul Nauta, FamilySearch public affairs manager. “The result is an amazing searchable online index for people around the world,” Nauta added.

The unique quality control process means each document is transcribed by two different indexers. In the case of the 250 millionth record, the two indexers were from Nicaragua and Guatemala. Any discrepancies in their two transcriptions were then forwarded to a third volunteer—an arbitrator—who would have made any needed corrections between the two transcriptions. In this case, that arbitrator was from Honduras. “Three volunteers, three countries, one common goal—to provide access to the world’s genealogical records quicker and more economically,” said Nauta.

In 2006, FamilySearch volunteers indexed a total of 11 million records. “Today, thanks to the growth in our volunteer numbers, FamilySearch volunteers are now transcribing about a million names per day. At that rate, we expect to hit the 500 million milestone much quicker than the 250 million marker,” added Nauta.

Today, tens of thousands of volunteers, young and old, log on to indexing.familysearch.org 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from all over the world to help with the ongoing goal to transcribe the world’s genealogical records. Some donate a few minutes a month, others hours a day. Some do it as a sort of “pay it forward” activity because they have personally benefited in their family history research by using FamilySearch’s collections over the years. Others help because they like the idea that just a little bit of donated time can help preserve historic information and make it more available for public access.

Completed indexes are ultimately made available online for public access through FamilySearch.org or through one of FamilySearch’s family history centers.

FamilySearch, at any given time, has over 35 online indexing projects underway—many of them international projects. “Volunteers usually have a preference for one type of indexing project over another,” said Paul Starkey, FamilySearch Indexing project manager. “For example, if you have ancestors from Spain, you might be very motivated to help index the Spain Catholic Church records because it could facilitate your personal research once the completed indexes are published online.”

Anyone interested in volunteering or seeing what projects are being indexed can do so at www.indexing.familysearch.org.

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch News: Popular British Jewish Database Grows to 40,000 Records

SALT LAKE CITY—FamilySearch expanded its Knowles Collection—a free popular database of Jewish records hailing from the British Isles. The collection builds upon work commenced by the late Isobel Mordy—a well-known historian of the Jews of the British Isles.

Mordy was a retired mathematician and used a complex code to link Jewish United Kingdom families in her research. Her work yielded 8,000 names and has been very popular for Jewish family history researchers with British ancestry.

“The complexity of the code Mordy used to index her research is daunting even to the most experienced researcher,” said Todd Knowles, author and manager of the Knowles Collection and a British Reference consultant for the famous Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. It took Knowles a few years, but he ultimately managed to transcribe the records from Mordy’s work into a more easily searchable genealogy database.

The great advantage of the Knowles Collection is that it links together electronically tens of thousands of individual Jews into family groups. Knowles has since expanded Mordy’s collection of 8,000 names to a collection of over 40,000.

“The records come from over 100 individual sources,” noted Knowles. “That saves the researcher a lot of time and travel.”

Some of the record sources were actively maintained until the mid 1980s, so many people living today will be able to find their relatives from recent memory in the collection. The newly added names come from many types of records—censuses; probate records; synagogue birth, marriage, and death records; biographies; and more.

Perhaps the most interesting records added recently include over 200 Jewish Welsh marriages from a community in the city of Cardiff, original synagogue records, and patron-submitted records. Some of the families tie into the work of Malcolm Stern’s The First American Jewish Families, which includes families who had English ancestry.

The collection can be accessed at FamilySearch.org on the Jewish Family History Resources page. It is available to download for free as either a GEDCOM or PAF file. Individuals can add their own records to the collection by contacting the collection’s author, Todd Knowles, directly at knowleswt@familysearch.org.

FamilySearch manages the largest collection of genealogical records worldwide. A significant portion of its collections come from the United Kingdom.

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch Indexing Update: New York State Census, Belgian, and Argentina Projects Added

This is one of several press releases I've received in the past week or so. My apologies: I've been remiss on posting them in a timely manner.

There are many new, upcoming, and completed indexing projects to report in this update. There are 12 new projects (see Current Projects chart below). These include three Belgian and two Argentina projects. The New York 1892 State Census project will be of great interest to many people. FamilySearch could not do all of these great initiatives without the great time and effort contributed by so many terrific volunteers. Thank you for your continued support.

Current FamilySearch Indexing Projects, Record Language, and Percent Completion:

* Argentina, Buenos Aires 1855 Census Spanish (New)
* Argentina Censo 1869–Catamarca y La Rioja Spanish (New)
* Argentina Censo 1869–Corrientes y Entre Rios Spanish 44%
* Arkansas County Marriages V English 20%
* Australia NSW Newspaper Cuttings English 88%
* Belgium–Antwerp Foreigners Index Dutch, Flemish 27%
* Brandenburg Kirchenbücher German 49%
* España, Lugo–Registros Parroquiales [Part 1] Spanish 16%
* España, Ávila–Registros Parroquiales Spanish 78%
* France, Coutances, Paroisses de la Manche French 9%
* Germany, St Petersburg Church Records 1833-1885 German 1%
* Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers English (New)
* Italy, Trento Baptism Records, 1784-1924 Italian 60%
* Mexico Censo de 1930–Sinaloa Spanish (New)
* Mexico Censo de 1930–Sonora Spanish 88%
* Mexico Censo de 1930–Tabasco Spanish 70%
* Mexico Censo de 1930–Tamaulipas Spanish (New)
* Minnesota 1895 State Census English 74%
* Missouri–1920 US Federal Census English (New)
* Nevada–1920 US Federal Census English 89%
* New Mexico–1920 US Federal Census English 75%
* New York 1892 State Census English (New)
* Nicaragua, Managua Civil Records Spanish 13%
* Norway 1875 Census part 1 Norwegian 10%
* Perú, Lima–Registros Civiles Spanish 10%
* Rhode Island 1925 State Census English (New)
* UK, Cheshire–Land Tax English 58%
* UK, Cheshire–School Records English 44%
* Ukraine Kyiv 1840-1842 Russian 10%
* Venezuela Mérida Registros Parroquiales Spanish 1%

Current FamilySearch Partner Projects:

* Arkansas Marriages IV English (New)
* Australia–Victoria Probate Records English 31%
* Belgique–Registres des Décès - Charleroi 1851-1900 Dutch, Flemish (New)
* Belgique–Registres Des Décès (Français) French 21%
* België–Overlijdens Registers–In het Nederlands Dutch, Flemish 74%
* België–Overlijdens Registers–Kalmthout 1851-1900 Dutch, Flemish (New)
* België–Overlijdens Registers–Mechelen 1851-1900 Dutch, Flemish (New)
* Bremer, Schifflisten German 42%
* Flanders Death Registration French, Dutch, Flemish 76%
* Indiana Marriages, 1882 to Apr 1905 English 82%
* Indiana Marriage Returns, 1882 to April 1905 English 31%
* Nova Scotia, Antigonish Church Records English 72%
* Ohio Tax Records–2 of 4 English 71%
* Vermont Militia Records English 37%

Upcoming Indexing Projects:

* Arkansas Marriages VI
* Arkansas Marriages VII
* Australia, Bounty Immigrants, 1824-1842
* Australia, Greenwich, Genealogical Records
* Austria, Vienna Population Cards
* Brazil, Pernambuco Civil Register 1900-1920
* Brazil, Rio de Janeiro Marriages 1900-10
* Canada, British Columbia Birth 1854-1903
* Canada, British Columbia Marriages
* Chicago Archdiocese Cemetery Records 1 (1864-1989)
* Czech, Litomerice Church Records - Part 1 1552-1905
* Freedmen Marriages
* Germany, Baden Church Books 1810-1869
* Germany, Mecklenburg 1890 Census
* Illinois, Cook County Birth Certificates 1
* Indiana, Allen County Marriages 1811-1959
* Jamaica, Trelawny Births
* Peru, Lima Civil Register Index 1910-1930

Recently Completed Projects:

* Argentina 1869 Census–Cordoba y San Luis
* Arkansas Marriages III
* Michigan–1920 US Federal Census
* Nayarit–Censo de Mexico de 1930
* New Brunswick 1871 Census
* New Hampshire–1920 US Federal Census
* New Jersey–1920 US Federal Census
* Nova Scotia–1871 Census
* Ontario–1861 Census
* Rhode Island 1915 State Census
* UK – Cheshire Parish Registers part 1

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

FamilySearch Record Search Update 7 April 2009

This is one of several press releases I've received in the past week or so. My apologies: I've been remiss on posting them in a timely manner.

FamilySearch added over 16 million new indexed records and almost 500,000 new digital images this week to its Record Search pilot (see chart below).

Seven new states were added to the 1920 U.S. Census index (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, and Massachusetts). Four counties (Clay Crittendon, Desha, and Monroe) of Arkansas marriages have also been published and includes the indexes and the images. The Arkansas records date from 1837 to 1957. Many thanks to our good friends at the Arkansas Genealogical Society and other FamilySearch Indexing volunteers who help make these priceless collections more readily available online.

See the chart below for more details. The new records can be searched for free at FamilySearch.org (Click Search Records, then Record Search pilot).

Collection Name: 1920 US Census
Indexed Records: 15,860,466
Digital Images: ---
Comments: Updated-—7 new indexed states (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, and Massachusetts)

Collection Name: Mexico, Chihuahua Church Records
Indexed Records: ---
Digital Images: 370,418
Comments: NEW

Collection Name: Arkansas Marriages
Indexed Records: 207,488
Digital Images: 116,337
Comments: NEW-—4 counties (Clay, Crittendon, Desha, and Monroe). Result of joint initiative with the Arkansas Genealogical Society.

FamilySearch International is the largest genealogy organization in the world. Millions of people use FamilySearch records, resources, and services to learn more about their family history. To help in this great pursuit, FamilySearch has been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical records worldwide for over 100 years. FamilySearch is a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Patrons may access FamilySearch services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org or through over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries, including the main Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Book Release: Webmasters Guide to TNG 7.0

This is one of several press releases I've received in the past week or so. My apologies: I've been remiss on posting them in a timely manner.

John Pfost is pleased to announce the release of his new book the Webmaster’s Guide to TNG 7.0: From Novices to Experts. This book provides all of the information needed by genealogists to easily build and manage dynamic, database-driven family history Web sites using "The Next Generation in Genealogy Sitebuilding.” TNG - as it’s commonly known - is the world’s preeminent software for creating custom, feature-rich, expandable, secure, and collaborative family history Web sites.

Unlike conventional desktop genealogy programs that build Web sites by converting GEDCOM files to HTML Web pages and then uploading all of the pages to a Web server, TNG allows users to upload a single GEDCOM file to a database hosted on a server. Web pages are then rendered dynamically based on requests by site visitors. Using cutting-edge technologies, the data is easily packaged for fast and efficient display including individual pages, family pages, family trees, media galleries, specialty reports, and more. More importantly, when the data changes – such as when you locate additional family members or extend the knowledge about your families – you do not need to regenerate all of the Web pages from the GEDCOM file and then re-upload them. You or your designated site users can modify the data directly in the database.

TNG comes with a number of pre-built templates that can be applied as-is, or customized in countless ways. You can change the theme, colors, layout, graphics, menus – pretty much anything that you wish – to create a stunning presentation and unique user experience. Even without any modifications, you will not end up with a canned and stilted Web site typical of those produced by desktop genealogy programs. What’s more, you are provided access to all of the source files so that you can further customize and enhance TNG to suit your needs. You do not need to perform any computer programming to work with TNG, but rather can simply tweak some code to achieve any desired result.

Because of the vast capabilities of TNG, many users find it somewhat challenging especially early on. The Webmaster’s Guide provides step-by-step procedures to get you up to speed quickly and efficiently. You can easily have a TNG-based family history Web site up and running in a weekend. What’s more, you’ll learn how to extend TNG’s capabilities to achieve nearly any existing Internet functionality. You can, for example, integrate slideshows, Wikis, forums, blogs, guestbooks, or integrate TNG with common content management systems. And, this is all in addition to controlling and managing your data – your genealogy – in a secure, user-friendly environment.

John has posted a couple of white papers that introduce TNG:

** “Introducing The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding” - provides a brief history of genealogy Web sites, an overview and description of TNG, a listing of its notable features and functions, a discussion of the underlying technologies, and a description of the system and personal requirements to implement a TNG Web site.

** “Getting Started with The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding” - provides a detailed description of the products and services one would need to develop a dynamic TNG-based family history Web site. It describes the key components - TNG, the Webmaster’s Guide, a domain name, and Web services hosting provider - that are required, as well as the many additional resources that are available.

You can download these papers from the TNG-Resources site at http://www.tng-resources.com by subscribing to the TNG-Resources newsletter and then accessing the Additional Resources page.

For additional information about the Webmaster’s Guide to TNG, visit www.tng-resources.com or email info@tng-resources.com. For information about The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding, visit http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/software.php.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Spokane Area RootsMagic Users Group to Meet Thursday

If you are a RootsMagic user, or are simply curious about this genealogy software program, you may be interested in the RootsMagic Users Group, which meets at 7 PM on the third Thursday of each month at the LDS Church at 808 E. Sitka (this month's meeting is on April 16th). Lew and Trudy Lundy lead this group. For more information, e-mail them here.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Spokane Area Legacy Users Group to Meet Wednesday

If you are a Legacy Family Tree genealogy software user, or are simply curious about this genealogy software program, you may be interested in the Legacy Users Group (LUG), which will meet next Wednesday, April 15th, from 1:30 to 3:30 PM in the meeting room of the Shadle Park Branch of the Spokane Public Library at 2111 W. Wellesley. Regular attendees will take turns in the role of moderator for each meeting. If you have more questions, please contact Donna Potter Phillips here.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

The October 2002 seminar was Researching your Military Ancestors featurng Craig Scott from Westminter, Maryland at the Days Inn on Sunset Blvd.
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