25 March 2012

Indexing

What can indexing do for you?   Indexing is one of the easiest ways to increase your knowledge of handwriting.

How can it help me with hand writing?      Most of the documents being indexed on Ancestry.com & Family Search are handwritten documents.  Not much newsprint, typewritten or computer print out in the to be indexed pile.

Why do you need to know about hand written documents in genealogy, aren't they are on the internet? No they are not all on the internet.  In fact as I referred to the post from last week.  In genealogy most deep research is not done on the internet.  It is done in repositories, libraries, town office, State offices/archives or in Federal offices.  These documents for the most part are handwritten.

How many times in your life have you encountered handwritten documents?  Have you ever had a job or volunteer opportunity in which you encountered thousands of handwritten documents.  Not many of us in our computerized world encounter such opportunities anymore.   With out having to pay for a course on handwriting why not index?  It will increase your skill.  You are better prepared when you do your local research.  Just imagine you spend money to travel to the home town of your great grandmother. You are given the book which contains her birth & marriage record.  But, oh no its hand written.  The curly letters confuse you.  You try to write but not sure if the letters are really the ones you think they are. No one there is able to assist you they can't make it out either.  Your time and money were not well spent.

When I began doing my families research I had a mini genealogy research series.  One was about the hand written documents.  At that time there were not these great projects of of indexing going on.  I sure could of used that experience then.

Who knows while your indexing you just might find an ancestor or cousin.  You never know where the serendipity will come in in family history.

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