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Genealogy Corner… Have You Ever Tried Indexing?

Issue 51.12

An old saying says, “One thing leads to another.”  This is very true with indexing because as it turns out, indexing becomes a stepping-stone to fulfill a desire to participate in family history work – despite limited time and inexperience.  Many feel an inclination to do family history work but don’t know where to start.

I have a friend who was in just this situation, she wanted to do family history work, but didn’t know what to do, and I later found, didn’t understand the basics of genealogy.  She did however learn and her love of family history started with indexing.  Even though family history is getting easier all the time, beginning personal research can still feel overwhelming.  Thankfully, indexing provides some much-needed, introductory, family history education.

You can gain knowledge about record types.  Genealogical records come in many varieties; indexing introduces volunteers to significant genealogical records with coordinating images they can download and review.

Genealogical Information and where it is found is also learned.  Each record type contains unique genealogical information, which can be discovered by indexers as they explore a variety of indexing projects.  Did you know that war records contain a lot of genealogical information?  Were you aware that birth dates and places were usually recorded on Draft Registration Cards?  Did you know that parents’ names are listed on original Social Security applications?

Handwriting practices are another thing that can be learned.  From beginning to advanced projects, old handwriting can be practiced and checked as indexing is completed.  A beginning researcher could download Draft Registration Cards and practice his or her handwriting skills while learning what genealogical information is recorded on that type of document.

New researchers can also volunteer as much or as little time as they want, everything they contribute is saved online.  In addition, when volunteers submit their work, they are adding to the searchable genealogical database at familysearch.org.  There are a variety of records now available to index.  This will introduce you to indexing and help you gain confidence in starting your own research.  See indexing.familysearch.org to get started.

For more information, contact Shanna Jones shannsjones@msn.com (435) 628-4900.

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