Virtual Research – Will we get there?

In 1996, the Internet Archive was founded to offer "permanet access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format."

Since their early beginnings of just texts, they now also offer audio, moving images, software and archived web pages. Their collections are vast and their digital acquistions increase daily.

Google books was thought of also in 1996 by their co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, however it wasn't launched until 2002 with the thought of scanning every book in the world. By working with other groups like the Library of Congress's American Memory project, Project Gutenberg and others, they developed various methods to overcome a mutilplicity of hurdles to scan the worlds' books. Regardless of the lawsuits that have slowed their progress, the original plan to bring these resources to all is a marvelous one indeed as many of these books sat on a shelve and were never viewed or noticed and now these resources are being used by many from around the world.

FamilySearch has also been digitizing books out of copyright for a number of years and they are available on their website. There are over 40,000 books and this is being done in conjunction with partner institutions.

The list of groups making books, films, documents and a long list of resources digitally available continues to grow each day and yet there are still many locations where one has to be physically there to take advantage of their digital collections, these are known as proprietary collections and are usually protected by a long list of copyright laws.

For instance, a public library, an archive or any record repository will have various digital collections available for all who visit their facility. This encourages many to visit there and provides those individuals with the ability to locate information quickly through their in-house terminals, unfortunately this leaves all who are unable to get there without access to those digital records and perhaps totally unaware that those records even exist.

Many would argue that making such resources available would decrease the number of individuals who would visit their facility, however, statistics and past releases of digital collections by other groups has proven that just the opposite happens and the repository usually sees an increase in patronage. This is because most repositories have more than just digital collections and individuals become aware of the full scope of all their collections creating an even greater desire to visit.

Many public libraries do provide access from home for some of their online subscription  resources through a library card, however, these resources are usually not directly from that library or their in-house collections. Additionally, students who attend universities and college will also have this type of access to aid in completing a number of assignments at that facilities library.

Enter remote access which is currently available for individuals who need to access their home computers from another location or tech support for those helping others with problems on their computers. Some of the companies who are providing this access are in the image below, however, there are likely many other companies that provide this service either for free or for a fee $. Security measures are a high priority for these companies with identity theft being upper most in their minds.

Today, when companies sign contracts with archives, libraries and others to put their digital records online, there often is a clause about remote connections and so these situations would have to be addressed as well as copyright laws, however, this could be a source of revenue for those in-house collections just waiting to be accessed by those who would never be able to visit or by those who are unaware that the records even exist! This comes under the statement of "I don't know what I don't know".

While there are a large number of hurdles, security measures, and reluctance by many, I look forward to the day when I can for a reasonable fee view digital collections that I would never see because I may not be able to visit that repository through some sort of remote access. With that additional knowledge I would most likely need to have someone in that location do physical research through their undigitized collections which would increase their patronage.

Someday...



Content Mashups = Access to Helpful Information

Just the word Mashups itself can be a bit confusing for some individuals who may not be familiar with the various changes in technology over the last couple of years as they mashup together to create something new and better for the users.

There is evidence of these types of applications right in the palm of one's hand as it holds a smart phone and one glances at the large range of applications so easily accessible at the touch of a finger on a screen.

The same can be said for applications on the internet for many of the genealogists and family historians today. When FindAGrave began in December, 1998, it had no GPS coordinates or special memorial pages and yet today this site has many benefial tools for ancestral seekers everywhere.

Mashups are great as they take two or more great tools and combine to form another new and just as helpful resource. One I thought worth mentioning in my blog is Slideshare.

Slideshare was introduced on the web in October, 2006 as a way for users to upload PowerPoint or Open Office presentationi files and share them online through a You Tube-like interface.  Files can be tagged, and comments left by viewers. Each slide has its own permanent URL for reference. SlideShare is clean, fast and functional and supports various copyright claims, including creative commons. Since its inception, it has become the best way to share presentations, documents and professional videos.

Because the Internet allows individuals the opportunity to learn about anything on a specific topic, it is sometimes difficult to create new content that is fresh and yet conveys a specific message. Slideshare can provide access to new ideas created by others which can enhance one's own learnings and/or improve a current presentation.  

A search for "Family History" returns over 100,000 results and while not each one will be exactly what one wants or is searching for, there will be something there to help with whatever your project may be at the time. With the recent indexing project going on to get the 1940 US Census up and available for free, for this blog we searched this site for 'census records' and found the following:

To find specific topics you may have to vary the terms, however, the search should prove to be helpful and provide additional information that can help to improve any project one may be working on. Once you have located a presentation, click on it and it brings up all others on that particular subject as follows:

This author has always found additional materials from other's perspectives as a way to enhance and improve one's own knowledge on a specific subject.

They now offer a 'Professional Plan' to help market yourself, your business and your expertise, of course they still have a basic plan for free. Take some time to check out this site and perhaps gain some new knowledge on a specific topic or share your own knowledge with others.



1940 Indexing Pace: Amazing!

The pace to finish indexing the 1940 US Census is phenonmenal and currently beyond anyones original thoughts as to its success!

The opportunity to be part of this community effort and others at hand is open to anyone and it has shown what we can all accomplish when we work together for a common goal.
The efforts of to bring this census online for free has surpassed all expectations. Currently there are over 137,000 volunteers with more individuals signing up daily. In a recent blog post, the FamilySearch CEO, Dennis Brimhall stated that "we now have more volunteers than lived in Albany, New York when the 1940 census was taken."
Some stats from his blog have already been surpassed as we have just had a big push this very weekend entitled "5 Million Record" day which was promoted all over through social media, word of mouth and various emails. This is their posts so far...

If this is any indication it will definitely be an awesome amount of indexing completed!

I know many have participated and it is definitely interesting to see so many from all over the world helping us out!

Some of the places were. Peru, Idaho, Texas, California, Philippines, Utah, Brazil, North Carolina, Illinois, Washington, DC, Virginia, Siberia, Florida, Delaware, Missouri, Kansas, New York, Oregon, Georgia, Argentina, Minisota,  and so many more...

Tonight in Second Life they were having an in-world indexing party...at the 'Just Genealogy' firepit, they are an awesome and dedicated group of genealogists!

The end result of all this hard work will be shown as more and more states are released completely indexed!

As of June 29th there were 29 states that have searchable indexes:

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming. Looking at the 'Overall Progress" chart it shows 78.03 % which is truely amazing!

According to their Facebook page they will publish the full totals tomorrow and perhaps release more completed states...

Regardless of the numbers, a major THANKS to all who particiated and made this possible ... together we can always accomplish so much more...to those who want to join in the fun, go to The1940Census and click on 'Get Started'.




The genealogical community is truely amazing!

A Butcher, A Baker, A Candlestick Maker...

When it comes to occupations, there are many different ones that individuals have had over time. The census records show such a variety of occupations that often one may have to look it up to determine just what that occupation entailed as it was to support their families. Yet there are some occupations that are still the same today as they have always been throughout time.

In the above picture an individual bakes bread in a brick oven which is done today in various places throughout the world. In researching my Marotte lines, my grandfather, Alphonse Marotte, worked for the New England Bakery in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. In my immediate family, my son, Phillip works as a cook at the Waterman Grille in Providence, Rhode Island and has worked at other restaurants over the years.
His brother is also a fantastic cook and on their paternal side there are even more bakers and cooks. It is easy to see how some talents just continue on through the generations.

Flickr by Mr. Robert Wade

Not to be outdone, my furthest back ancestor, Rene Brisson was a butcher, however, again perusing the census records back finds more butchers and so this skill is another that has been handed down to the current generations as they learn to cook and gain their culinary skills which includes knowing how to chop, puree, dice, slice, etc. to get all the ingredients just right!

Agricultural laborers and farmers are another of the more common occupations found but within those parameters are many more occupations that includes thresher, swainer, granger and ackerman, etc. These different terms add so much color and imagination to our search as we attempt to visualize what they might be and then adding a picture of our ancestor doing that particular job, ancestral research often provides an unexpected historical perspective not found in history books.

Often when there are individuals with the same family names in the same locations, an occupation can be the one thing that tells them apart. Just in this little portion of an 1881 UK Census we find seven different occupations or professions for these individuals.

As one does research, it is a good thing to become familiar with the trades, occupations and professions of those in your ancestral lines. There are many great sites to help with understanding the old terminologies by different countries as I've written about here.

Regardless of what occupation has been passed down through the generations, one thing is certain, everyone one tried their best to support their families and while some focused on a trade others did whatever work was available at the time.

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Research Communities ~ An Extension of Genealogical Kindness...

Earlier this year the opportunity to assist in indexing the 1940 US Census became evident. This resulted in the biggest recruitment effort ever taken to involve the community with this massive task. Over 132 million people were living in just the 48 Continental states in 1940 and more than 3.8 million pages. Additionally, a number of major companies partnered with this great endeavor, Archives, FindMyPast, ProQuest  and the National Archives and an overwhelming number of Societies and individuals are currently working hard to complete this fantastic resource in record time. To all who doing just that we in the research community say a big Thank You as we have now passed the half way point!

A new community effort is slowly being launched to provide research services to those who need it through Facebook Genealogical Research Communities. At this time, there are more than 100 genealogy research communities established on Facebook answering every kind of genealogical question imaginable. Some are purely directional as to what to do next or where to go next and others are a little more involved. The FamilySearch Research Wiki is a great resource to many of these individuals. Others who research in those area are also providing answers and it is another valuable show of support from the awesome genealogical community.

Pages exists for each of the US states along with several countries and ethnic groups. Each page is managed by a research team of FamilySearch volunteers from around the world and is designed to answer research questions and point individuals in the right direction to continue on with their own research. The world areas covered are:

• Africa
• Asia
• Ethnic Research Communities
• Europe
• Latin America
• North America
• Oceania

One can post a question or answer a question, either way, a community in action is what will be seen by all who participate in these community efforts! It is truely another amazing opportunity where the community shines again and pays it forward to all.

Today on Facebook, one of my colleagues, Sheri Bush sent out a request to encourage her genealogical friends to consider adoping a county website referring to these 'Genealogical Research Communities' so that more aid can be provided throughout the world. The early beta testing has shown that these communities do provide a great resource to many who may not be able to find help at a Family History Center or are just beginning to do research.

For those who may be interested in helping out, there is a lot of information on the FamilySearch Research Wiki's Adminstrators page. There is also a Facebook Admins page, both provide great assistance to all. One should check it out and take it into consideration as another opportunity to be part of a constantly growing genealogical community!

Thanks to all who are already Administrators!



Memorial Day: A National Day of Mourning

There are no words that really can express the depth of gratitude felt by those who are left behind and can enjoy the freedoms we do because an individual gave his or her life for us and yet each year we try on Memorial Day to do just that.

All over the United States there are cemeteries covered in flags and flowers in rememberence of all who have died for this country, the numbers are staggering of those who have done this for all of us.

Genealogists and family historians often record their deaths with tears in their eyes as they think of all that could have been for that individual and yet we are years away from the actual events and so it is no wonder what their immediate loved ones must have felt and gone through at that time, it is indeed a sad and solemn reference that is given to all of these brave individuals and their immediate families.

There are many online resources to help us find out more about these individuals today then there were many years ago for the survivors who may have never really known what happened to their loved one. A website has been set up totally dedicated to Memorial Day. This site explains the history behind the day along with a listing of another 16 sites also dedicated to this day. There are many other interesting and valuable links on tihis site worth reviewing.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has a veterans burial locater which can help to locate where a specific soldier is buried. The Amercan Battle Monuments Commission has a listing for WW1, WWII and the Korean War. There is a National Grave Registration Project sponsored by the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War which provides a database of all the final resting places of all Union Civil War Veterans.

Fold3 provides an alphabetical list of Revolutionary Soldiers from 1775-1783. along with many other collections and claim to be the "web's premier collection of original miliary records."

Of course Ancestry.com has a very large collection of military records also and do need to be mentioned for making some many of the military records available online from the first entries of the WW1 draft records many years ago.

The National Archives is where one goes to attain copies of service records and many other military resources. Most states military records can be located through the USGenWeb sites. Some states also have memorial sites set up for their fallen heroes.

While I have cousins and relatives who have fought for the US, most of my ancestors fought from the Canadian borders and were Carignan Soldiers. When doing research there were many references to many being members. Their history is worth reading about, Dick Eastman wrote an excellent article on these individuals entitled Carignan Soldiers or Soldat Carignan.

There are many other memorial sites to war veterans from around the world, I especially appreciate the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site which is a massive database from many wars and provides burial locations. Not to be outdone, there are many others from other countries too. Here are a few:

Australian War Graves Photogravic Archive
Norwegian War Graves
Polish War Graves
South Africa War Graves Project
War Graves and Memorials in New Zealand

In closing all one can say is 'Thank You' and may the families of those who have given all be blessed with all they need at this time.

Genealogical Community Impact is Simply Amazing!

The genealogical community rocks!

The hard work of so many to get the US 1940 Census indexed is just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to the commitment of so many. The report out just yesterday on this one project was staggering. They have added 3 more states to the list of completed states with searchable indexes. Acording to the article more than 43% has been indexed and arbitrated, I do believe we are making indexing history! The full list of statistics is located within the article.

Beyond the statistics are those who are working so hard to help out, we say thank you! Our map is looking so colorful...

In addition to these awesome statistics, the indexding community continues to help in other areas too. The list of newly complted projects includes Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, Italia, Napoli, UK, England and Wales, and Canada. These records will soon be on FamilySearch.org.

Lastly, new records just added to FamilySearch.org come from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, Italy, Peru, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela and Wales!

These records are sure to aid many in their genealogical research, check them out and happy hunting!