My teacher is absolutely right- it is incredible! However, neither Ancestory.com nor FamilySearch.org just magically digitize the information that we search through. Have you ever wondered where the information you find on these sites comes from?
Think about it…when you searched for grandma on one of these sites and a file all about her popped up, did you wonder where it came from?
When I log into FamilySearch (or Ancestry) and start searching or plugging in names to try and connect on my tree, the information I find is not there by accident, coincidence or magic (although that would be super cool). This information is typed in by people like me and you!
This amazing information that is ready for you to find comes from documents and records like census records, marriage records, death indexes, boat manifests etc.
Here's an image of an old census record. It's handwritten, and has been scanned into the database of a family history site.
The basic idea behind indexing is this: We type up what we see on these old records. That's it! Then the information is available to people searching for their ancestors.
I like indexing through Family Search, and it's fun to do! When I log-in, I select the indexing option. There are some great tutorials for first time indexers available too (or if you're an experienced indexer and want a refresher course). You're able to select the document to work on, and then you type exactly what you see on the record onto a spreadsheet.
Even this explanation makes it sound more complicated than it is.
Some census records are tougher to read than others, and that's why Family Search has a great system set up to have indexers of differing levels double check each other's work.
When I index I am a Level 1 indexer. Then there are Level 2 indexers that will double check my work, and a Level 3 indexer who checks their work before it's put online.
This assures that the information we find and index is accurate and will truly help the person searching for an ancestor.
What this means for me and you is that when I'm searching for information on a relative and I type in their name I can find links to this census and record information so that I not only know their birth date, birth location, death date etc but I can see the family census (which will tell me more about their siblings, where they lived between the time of birth & death, who else lived with them which often included parents-in-law). All this information adds to the story of my ancestor. When I see a link to a boat manifest then I can learn more about their immigration such as how old they were, where they were coming from etc.
Indexing is amazing, and exciting to do. I haven't yet seen a member of my own family on a census record as I work but I know that other people have because of all the information I've been able to gather.
I love indexing and getting to see what names were popular at different times.
(Thanks Hercules!)
I also loving getting to see how handwriting styles changed, and what was fashionable in that regard.
Indexing helps all of us in our family history work, and for my teacher in putting together his database. Research like his will benefit all of us too because we'll be able to learn more about family members who served in the Civil War. It really is a win-win situation.
If you're interested in indexing I highly recommend it! Either way, it's good to take a moment and be grateful for the people who do index and make so much information available to all of us.
Happy Hunting!
Great article and information Danielle! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI used to work on family history on newfamilysearch and I got the opportunity to find some family names that were already on there. I updated some information to those family names based on the information my relatives sent me. It was very interesting for me to work on those names and try to get them as updated as possible because they may not be 100% accurate.
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