Could you become an arbitrator for FamilySearch?

 FamilySearch.org is looking for qualified indexers to become arbitrators. 

All indexers who have indexed at least 4,000 records are eligible to become arbitrators. Qualifying indexers who would like to participate as arbitrators should visit https://FamilySearch.org/indexing/help to learn how to get started.

They say that the following four essential tips will ensure volunteers are ready to submit high-quality arbitrated records during the Worldwide Arbitration Event May 1-8, 2015 -

• Read the instructions. Read or re-read the field helps and project instructions for each arbitration project before beginning. 
• Record match. Record matching ensures that arbitrators use a correct and fair comparison between the information recorded by indexer A and indexer B. For instructions, watch the video: “Arbitration Training - Record Matching,” which teaches how to complete this essential step in the indexing process.
• Index. If possible, volunteers should index one or more batches from each project they plan to arbitrate during the event, then continue to index one batch for every ten they arbitrate. Indexing (and reviewing the instructions) will help arbitrators stay sharp.
• Arbitrate in native language. Accuracy is highest when volunteers work only in their native language. Unless they have received extensive training in a second language and are highly proficient in that language, or have been specifically trained to index certain types of records in a second language, volunteers should stick with projects in their native language. 

So are you ready to be an arbitrator?

If you are, visit https://FamilySearch.org/indexing/help

Check the Canadian Week in Review every Monday morning for the latest in Genealogy, Heritage, and History news in Canada.

If you missed this week’s edition, it is at http://genealogycanada.blogspot.com/2015/04/canadian-week-in-review-20-april-2015.html

It’s the ONLY news blog of its kind in Canada!

It has been a regular post every Monday morning since April 23, 2012.

 

Missisquoi County Canada Genealogy Research Volunteer group announces 10,000 record transcription milestone

This is a notice I received this afternoon from Nancy Cunningham, concerning her group, the Missisquoi County Canada Genealogy Research Volunteer Group. They are doing great work!

‘We at the Missisquoi Rootsweb group ( * Missiquoi was an historical county located in Quebec / Lower Canada / Eastern Townships along the US border) have been for the last 10 years quietly transcribing and publishing records much needed for research in our area. The Missisquoi historic county area, although located in Quebec was heavily Protestant & English speaking with many immigrants from Great Britain and US. ( Vermont) .

This week we reached the 10,000 image milestone on our transcription project of Quebec, Non-Catholic Parish Registers, 1763-1967 from Family Search.org . The 10k mark is for the number of images transcribed, the number of actual individual parish records of births, marriages and burials is closer to 15,000.

We make them all freely available and searchable on our blogs.

We haven’t limited our projects to Family Search digital records- we have also transcribed Library and Archives Canada microfilm Notary records, Google newspapers, Internet Archive eBooks of local directories and posted images and burials to Find-A-Grave.

We use an innovated volunteer sign-up sheet system through Sign up genius, this enables volunteers to work together on projects even though they actually live all over the world.

We believe strongly in paying it forward in genealogy and think this is a little way we can give back for all the help we’ve been given by others in the past.

If anyone has folks that once lived in our area, we’d love for them to search our records and maybe get involved with our group on Rootsweb.

Don’t forget how great Rootsweb ( mailing lists and message boards) is and it’s FREE – check the groups in your areas of research- they may be doing great stuff too!'

Blog http://missisquoigenealogy.blogspot.com/

Rootsweb group http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/CAN/CAN-QC-MISSISQUOI.html

If you want to write to Nancy Cunningham, coordinator, her email address is missisquoigenealogy@gmail.com

FamilySearch has designated 2014 as “The Year of the Obituary’’

Now here is an exciting announcement that FamilySearch.org made at RootsTech 2014 -

The year 2014 has been designated as “The Year of the Obituary” for FamilySearch. We know that many family history centers have clipped obituaries from newspapers and we’d like to place these collections online on the FamilySearch website. FamilySearch will scan and digitize the collections. They will then be indexed and placed online. Digitizing obituaries will make these valuable collections easier to access and simpler to attach to FamilyTree. Information gathered from obituaries will help users to add people and data to Family Tree.

Here are some guidelines for what FamilySearch wants to collect:

· These records should be actual obituaries, not indexes.

· They must be camera-ready which means the obituaries should be attached to the same-sized cards (3×5, 4×6) or to 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper.

· If you have already indexed the collection and it is in paper format, please include that with your submission.

After the obituaries are scanned, you may request that they be returned to you or discarded.

If you have a collection you would like to submit to FamilySearch, please contact Nathan Murphy at murphynw@familysearch.org

Do You Read/Speak Italian?

FamilySearch.org is looking for people who can read/speak Italian, so that they can transcribe and put the rest of the Italian records online. Here is the press release that they put out the other day .

“FamilySearch launched a historic partnership with the National Archives of Italy in December 2011 to digitally preserve and index its civil registration records (birth, marriage, and death) for all states from 1802 to 1940. Since the project launch more than 24 million images have been published, and 4 million names have been made searchable on FamilySearch.org.

But there are 115 million historic Italian documents with over 500 million names remaining to index and publish. Tens of thousands of volunteers are needed. To meet this opportunity, FamilySearch is requesting help from indexers and arbitrators who speak or read Italian or a closely related language, such as Spanish, or who are willing to learn a handful of simple Italian words and phrases to help facilitate the initiative.

Descendants of Italians and Italy historic and genealogy societies are especially invited to participate to help accelerate the publication of this valuable record set”.

Interested individuals, societies, or groups should visit www.familysearch.org/italian-ancestors to learn more.

To search the completed Italian records online and to learn more about reading Italian records, visit familysearch.org/italy.

Transfer of Vital Statistics to PEI Archives

In May of this year, Royal Assent was given to a bill allowing amendments to the Vital Statistics Act which permitted the transfer of records after certain time restrictions have passed www.gov.pe.ca/cca/baptismal

There are time restrictions on the Vital Statistics, as follows -

Birth Records - restricted for 120 years after date of birth

Marriage Records - restricted for 75 years after the date of marriage


Death Records - restricted for 50 years after the date of death. The cause of death remains restricted regardless of when the death occurred.

Baptismal Records - All records in the post-1886 Baptismal Records Index now have been posted.

Simply place the surname you are looking for in the search box and you will receive the Child's Full Name, the Birth Date, the Baptism Date, the Mother's Name, the Father's Name, the Birth Place, and the Baptism Place.

At the present time, baptismal records are from 1777 to 1923. There are 93,000 records.

Saskatchewan's "Valued-Added" Membership

The Saskatchewan Genealogical Society has put something new in its membership - a value-added package, beginning in 2009!

In a special page on their site, http://www.saskgenealogy.com/aboutsgs/Value_Added.htm , they will add the following to their regular membership -

Saskatchewan Residents Index (SRI) -

Burial Index - index of burial information of 50,000 individuals

Obituary Index - index of obituary information of 75,000 individuals

Cummins Maps - name and location of individuals in the 1920s

Change of Name Index - index of individuals who changed their name and are listed in the Saskatchewan Gazette from 1971 to 1950

RCMP Obituary Index - index of name as well as the source for the obituary

NW Rebellion War Claims Index - the names of those who requested compensation after the 1885 NW Rebellion.

Rural Municipalities Historical Documents Index - an index that will list documents held by municipalities - such as tax assessment rolls.

Plus, the Saskatchewan Genealogical Society and the Ontario Genealogical Society www.ogs.on.ca also have joined in offering a $5.00 discount in membership fees for 2009!http://www.saskgenealogy.com/aboutsgs/Value_Added.htm