GeneaSleepover

I don't know how they did it!

My friend in genealogy DearMyrtle (Pat Richley-Ericson) and her Cousin Russ (Russ Worthington) should be singing in best Dora the Explorer style "We did it, we did it, we did it, Hooray." but I suspect that they are sleeping after hosting the 24 hour Geneasleepover Hanagout on Air.

I cannot thank them enough for hosting this feast of learning and collaboration from which I learnt so much. It was fortuitous that Mr GeniAus was away on business so I was able to participate or tune in to the Hangout during my waking hours. I spent around 7 hours on the panel and another two hours viewing the proceedings from the DearMyrtle community.

As I am having trouble writing a coherent report on this event I will use my fave PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) thinking tool toorganise the thoughts I have about the event.

PLUS
* It was a worldwide event open to all members of the DearMyrtle Community on Google+ and invited guests to join the panel.
* Community members watching the show live could participate by making comments in the community.
* Anyone with access to the internet could watch the live show on Youtube.
* Dovetailing with the Familysearch indexing event was a brilliant idea.
* Myrt's relaxed manner makes panelists and viewers feel as though they are all taking part in a fireside chat.
* Myrt and Russ don't take themselves too seriously. They are willing to make and learn from their mistakes.
* Panelists from countries all around the globe joined in to share local knowledge.
* People from Familysearch joined in to keep us updated with latest statistics from the indexing event.
* I got to talk in real time to fellow genealogists I knew from the online genealogycommunity.
* I got a chance to spotlight and talk about "Australian Royalty". Thanks for the invittion Myrt.
* I had opportunities to talk about several topics as Myrt deferred to members of the panel.
* There was a huge range of topics for discussion - something for everyone.
* The online indexing demos were helpful.
* Being a panelist gave me an opportunity to ask questions of other experts. Thanks for the answers.
* Seeing young genealogist, Caitlin, online and representing Australia gave me a buzz.
* It was heartening to see Australians commenting in the community about their indexing efforts (Alex Daw springs to mind).
* My fave activity was watching and hearing Sherri, a Familysearch indexing arbitrator, demonstrate and discuss arbitration.
* My internet connection remained stable for most of the day.
* I completed and uploaded 5 batches of indexing to Familysearch.
* Russ will be timestamping the videos so we can go right to the sections that interest us.

MINUS
* Poor Myrt and Russ were sleep deprived.
* I was sleeping when my mate Sonia from Spain was on the panel.
* I had trouble minding my manners, it was hard not to interject but I tried to keep myself muted.
* I think that only two Australians took the opportunity to join the panel.
* My kitchen chair was uncomfortable. I dragged my office chair out for the last couple of hours.
* I probably won't find the time to watch the whole 24 hours of video.
* I only managed to index five Familysearch batches because I was enthralled y the Hangout content.

INTERESTING
* I can't fathom why more people didn't join the panel. When I was participating there were spaces left for others to join the panel.
* Perhaps in future 24 hour Hangouts so that Myrt and Russ can take a nap the reins can be passed over to various people with  just one of Myrt or Russ online at a time to co-ordinate proceedings.
* My internet connection became flaky around 6:00pm - peak time in Australia. I will reconsider the times I hold my GeniAus Hangouts on Air and may schedule them for times when the internet is more reliable.
* Perhaps I could hold a 6-8 hour GeniAus #hoa with guest speakers on different topics.

Worldwide Indexing Event

Congratulations to all of the indexers who collaborated to create a record in the Familysearch Worldwide Indexing Event. The final numbers for the activity will be available in the coming days but Familysearch reported just now on Facebook that an estimate of 66,417 indexers took part in the event.

Familysearch Indexing Facebook post

Initially indexers had some issues connecting to the Familysearch servers as they were overloaded but as the hours passed it became easier to download batches for indexing and upload completed batches for arbritation. It was lucky that I had prepared by downloading a couple of batches on the day before the activity so I was ready to begin indexing once the event kicked off.

For my small part I uploaded five batches (I think). As there were no Australian records available when I looked I indexed project records in English birth : records from the Phillipines, marriage records from Virginia in the US and US army draft cards from Arkansas. Some of the records were typed and some were handwritten. Although these records were in the Beginner category I found that some of the handwriting and foreign names created challenges for me.

I am a beginner indexer who finds that this activity fits in with my lifestyle. It enables me to give back to Familysearch who do so much for the genealogy community, I am able to volunteer in my own time fitting in the activity around the needs of my family.As I transcribe records from other countries I am learning about names, places and records from those lands so indexing alaso is a learning activity for me.

If you haven't tried indexing for Familysearch give it a go. You will find it a rewarding experience.

Familysearch Indexing Page: https://familysearch.org/indexing/

In Praise of Indexes

The other evening I was doing some research as I watched Wimbledon on the TV.

I was chasing up Mr GeniAus' aunt, Joan Gowans, who left an estate of $1,000.000 in 1899, I think that would have been a fair stash back then. I found her death and funeral notices in The California Digital Newspaper Collection whch told me that she was buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery in San Francisco.

Joan's Death Notice 

San Francisco Call, Volume 86, Number 18, 18 June 1899

After a bit of digging around I found that the cemetery records had been digitised by Familysearch  but they were not indexed. This means that one has to trawl through many screens to find a record; it is just like using microfilms.How much more accessible this and many other Familysearch records would be if they were indexed.

It took me about twenty minutes of negotiating through several record sets before I found Joan's burial. I realised rather guiltily that I had never done any indexing for Familysearch yet I have used their online indexes extensively. With my well documented lack of keyboarding skills I was also concerned about contributing accurate records to Familysearch.

As I was to be home the next morning I tuned into DearMyrtle's Wacky Wednesday Hangout on Air to find that the topic for the Hangout was Familysearch Indexing.  During the program Myrt demonstrated how to log in to Familysearch, sign up for indexing, download the indexing software, set it up, do some indexing and upload your work. It didn't look too difficult at all.

After the Hangout was over I was home alone and it was peaceful so I loged into my Familysearch account, followed Myrt's instructions and completed two batches of indexing. The contribution I made was just a drop in the ocean but I felt that, in some small way, I am saying thankyou to Familysearch for all they do.

Familysearch Indexing Page

If you have ever contemplated doing a spot of indexing for Familysearch I encourage you to give it a go. But first watch the Hangout that I have embedded below.