Extend your family history research
Although it is possible to devote an entire lifetime (and more) to the comprehensive study of a single family tree, some family historians like to employ the skills and knowledge they have gained by branching out. Here are just a few of the possibilities.
Guild of One Name Studies
http://one-name.org/ Family historians generally focus their efforts on researching their own family trees, collecting and analysing data in order to find as much detail as possible on every branch, twig or tiny leaf. Others compile surname studies, which seek all occurrences, past and present, of a single surname, anywhere in the world. Register of One Place Studies
http://www.register-of-one-place-studies.org.uk/ One-place studies have been defined as a branch of family history with a focus on the entire population of a single village or community. In fact, the study area can be much smaller than a village, for example, a hamlet or a single street - even the systematic research of all those buried in a graveyard or named on a war memorial counts! |
Indexing Projects
Every family historian knows that finding a new relevant collection of records is wonderful but finding one where the information is indexed for searching is even better. It is so much easier to go directly to the relevant page rather than having to browse through every record to find the one that refers to your ancestor. The LDS Church (operating through Family Search) has undertaken a massive program of digitising paper records using automated cameras; but there is no technology that can do the next step - reading and making sense of the data on the pages. The record set Australia, Queensland Cemetery Records, 1802-1990 is now fully searchable because of the efforts of volunteers who studied each image closely, transcribed the text from the microfilmed images and recorded the structured information. Family Search Indexing https://familysearch.org/indexing/ Any user who would like to give something back for all the value they have received can become an indexer. Scotlands Places http://www.scotlandsplaces.gov.uk/ This site operates on a different basis with a very direct benefit in return for your efforts. Registering for Transcribe ScotlandsPlaces and giving between 1 and 2 hours per week of your time gives you free access to the entire site resources. Ancestry World Archives Project http://community.ancestry.com/wap/download.aspx This is a collaborative effort that has allowed thousands of people around the world to help preserve history that would otherwise be lost. All products will be made available free through Ancestry. SLQ Digital Volunteers http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/about-us/pitch-in State Library of Queensland is working hard to ensure that its digital collections of diaries, letters and books are easily accessible for researchers, writers, and anyone with an interest in history. You can help us us transcribing them in Wikisource. You’ll have a chance to immerse yourself in the real-life experiences of those who lived, fought and died during World War 1 or transcribe and proofread fun and intriguing texts from Queensland's past. |