Recently I was introduced to the indexing program at Family Search. Indexing is a project designed to take the information on various records (censuses, marriages, deaths, passenger lists, land grants, tax rolls, draft registrations, etc.) that have been microfilmed and enter them into a HUGE database that can then be searched by genealogists far and wide.
Recently the 1940 census records have been released and a big project is underway to index the whole thing. About 138 millions people were living in the United States at the time this census was taken, many of whom are still living today. According to the website, the project is about 28% complete, with some states (Colorado, Kansas, and Delaware) already done. Going here will take you directly to the web page that documents the indexing progress.
As I mentioned earlier, many more types of records are waiting to be indexed and many thoughts have gone through my mind as I've indexed and tried to read between the lines. One of my first projects was to index some Texas death certificates from the first part of the century. One of the batches (a series of records) consisted almost entirely of victims of the influenza epidemic of 1918. It really brought home the terrible devastation of that disease. Another time I was doing a page of the 1940 Census from Florida and ran into a list of about 25 young women that were 'lodgers' at a particular address. Were they school girls, orphans, workers? The 1890 Census of Civil War veterans lists survivors of the "war of rebellion" and the rank they held at the time of their service.
To get started, just follow the links at FamilySearch.org that directs you to the tutorials and FAQs. Sometimes the handwriting on the original records is a little intimidating, but with experience and the helps available, it gets a little easier. Plus, you can always send a batch back to be indexed by someone else. Most batches can be indexed in a few minutes to half an hour, and you can always close out and come back to it later if you need to.
If this sounds like a plug for Indexing, I guess it kind of is one. I've found it quite interesting and a fascinating way to spend a little time once in a while.
4 comments:
Rick caught the indexing bug this winter and really enjoyed it. I tried a few names, after reading your post I am thinking I should really jump on the indexing wagon.
Moe and I are lucky enough to have callings as indexers. We definitely need to be doing more of it but it is fun to do.
Liz, I started kind of fitfully with indexing, dropped it for a while, then got back on board. Your comfort level goes up if you stay with the same type of record for awhile while you become familiar with the little details with that type of record. As your comfort level goes up you can try other records. Or not.
Steve, Good to hear from you. Wanna trade callings?
Liz again. Roswell, huh? I didn't know we had a mission to aliens!
If anyone can convert aliens, it'll probably be Bryan.
Interesting post about indexing. I didn't even know that was something that pretty much anyone could do. I'll have to give it a shot and index a few records.
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