FamilySearch Indexing

My grandparents circa 1940

I love to spend time doing indexing for FamilySearch. As a family history researcher, I depend on searchable records, and doing indexing allows me to help someone else. Basically, I just type the information from scanned documents into the computer. Each record is completed by more than one person, and arbitrated if necessary. Then researchers can search a previously unsearchable resource.

While indexing, sometimes I come across bits of information that cause me to reflect a bit about the lives of the individuals represented by the names and dates. Recently, I've been indexing marriage records from Pennsylvania in the 1930s. I've noticed a couple of things: 1. The geographical area was home to many immigrants from eastern European countries. 2. Many of the fathers of the happy couples were deceased at the time of the wedding. I can only surmise that World War I or the Russian Revolution really hit hard for these families. I was just taken aback by the number of marriage licenses that had "died" on the line for father's current residence.

If you'd like to become an indexer, it is easy to do. Just click on the above link to get started. There is no obligation. You can index as many or as few records as you wish, and you can send back a batch if for any reason you no longer are able to index it. Pretty soon, the 1940 census will be available, and even more indexers will be needed!

Thankful thought: Thanks for veterans, thanks for parents, and thanks for those who help make family history research easier!

Comments

Monday Mentions: Equate Crutches

Have you ever needed crutches? I hadn't, until a week ago. I'm pretty sure I strained a muscle while running a half-marathon. (That sounds kind of cool, doesn't it? I'm not actually that cool; the last time I strained a muscle it was from carrying too many shopping bags at once.) In any case, I found myself in need of some crutches. I sent my husband to the store to get some. Photo: A pair of crutches leans against a wall Not that crutches are all that complex, but because I hadn't used any before, I wondered if I could figure out how to adjust them to fit me properly. I shouldn't have worried. John came home from Walmart with their generic store brand of crutches, complete with instructions. First, I needed to take out a long bolt that went through the hand grip. Then I needed to find my height range, push down two metal pieces, and slide the crutches until the little metal pieces came up in the hole near my height range. (Having two people for this...

Ten Things of Thankful: Live from Oregon, part 2

stock photo of old computer monitor When I was 10 or 11, I remember sitting next to my dad in our living room and reading computer code to him as he entered it into an Apple computer. We would finish the exercise and he would hit enter (or was it "run"?) and wait expectantly for the green type to appear on the screen. If we were lucky, the whole conversation would occur. Most often, there would be an error either in my dictation of the code, or in the typing of the code. We would then go painstakingly back through the lines, character by character, to find and correct the error. After what seemed like hours (and might have been), we would succeed and the computer would finally run the entire program. It was magical! My dad designed and built an earth-sheltered, passive solar home decades before solar panels were commonplace. He also was on a 9-month waiting list for a Prius, when hybrids were not seen on every street. While my dad is definitely on the cutting edge of technol...

Ten Things of Thankful: Oregon Edition, Part 3

A western bluebird, sitting at the base of a house window, looks inside Thanks (1) to those who have sent well-wishes for my mom's recovery. Her wrist is healing up nicely. I met a friend from high school for lunch this past week. It was so nice to have a chance to visit with her for a couple of hours. She is one of those friends who it doesn't matter how much time has passed, we can pick right back up into meaningful conversations. Lunch ended all too soon, but I'm so thankful (2) for her, and I'm thankful (3) that she reminded me of the importance of reaching out to others. Being in my parents' home this week, visiting with a long-time (I'm not saying old!) friend, and with Mother's Day tomorrow, my mind naturally reflects upon the women in my life. I'm thankful (4) for an incredible mom--a gentle woman who taught and loved and guided us (and still does.) I'm thankful (5) for grandmas who were different in their personalities but united in their...

Thankful Me

Search This Blog