Published: June 28, 2008 08:36 pm            

GENEALOGY: Pilot project proves promising, informative

TERRE HAUTE — For the past few weeks, I’ve been receiving regular messages from the folks at the FamilySearch.org Web site as they add information and databases to their new on-line pilot Web site. I’ve posted a couple of these announcements in this column, but now it’s time to do a review of this very promising and informative project.

The Web site is at pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=0, and, being a pilot project, it is still under construction. The information in the various databases has not all been entered and the site is not yet complete. But FamilySearch is letting the public have free access to the partial databases before the site is finished.

The list of databases already on the site is impressive. Censuses included are the 1850 federal census (including the 1850 mortality schedule and the 1850 slave schedules), plus the 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1900 federal census. State censuses include the 1855 and 1865 Massachusetts state census and the 1855, 1865, 1875, 1895, and 1905 Wisconsin state census. Foreign censuses included are the 1895 Argentina census and the 1930 Mexico census.

Other US records include the Freedman Bank records (1865-1874), the Civil War Pension Index, the World War II Draft Registration Cards, and the New York Passenger arrivals at Ellis Island (1892-4).

Foreign records include English baptisms and marriages, German baptisms and marriages, Norwegian baptisms, marriages, and deaths, Mexican baptisms, vital records from the Czech Republic and France, and parish records from Spain. There are also various state records from Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Ontario in Canada.

Some of the records are searchable and some can be browsed through, but aren’t indexed yet. The search engine includes the ability to use any combination of first or middle name, surname, spouse’s name, parents’ names, year, place, and the “life events” of birth/christening, marriage, or death/burial. Matches can be designated as exact, close, or partial. The search results allow for a preview of the information that is on the record by just pointing at the name. If the record is of interest, the user can then view an exact copy of the original record by clicking on the link. A caution to viewers with dial-up: the actual records are very slow to load.

When the original record is in view mode, the viewer can print, save, zoom in for a closer view, and view the previous or next pages of the record.

Each database comes with a full description of the record being used, why the record was created, what information can be found in the record, how to use the information contained in the record, its reliability, and how complete the database now is. Some databases are nearing 100 percent completion, while others are still very small–under 10 percent completion. The viewer should check back regularly to look at databases of interest because new information is being added every day. New or updated databases will be marked with a red star.

The site also has information on how to become a volunteer indexer for the project. Interested parties can download the free software, download a batch of files, and then assist the project by indexing those files. This is a very exciting project and, when complete, will be a valuable contribution to the genealogist’s arsenal of free on-line information.

        

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