I’ve been doing genealogy a long time. In the 1970s I mentioned that I was driving
to Boston to take a look at the US Federal Census Indexes at NEHGS, so I could
write to NARA for a copy of a census record.
I was talking to someone who remembered doing genealogy research before
the invention of photocopies. She said
she that remembered having to drive to NARA in Washington to look at the
microfilm back in her early days of genealogy research. Then we discussed her grandfather, who researched
genealogy before microfilm was invented.
Together we wondered how he researched with census records. We knew he used them, but we had no idea how
it was done at the turn of the 20th century.
Now I can sit at home in my PJs, anytime of night and day
and not only look at a census index, I can pull up the image of the record
itself! Within minutes I can compare
records from several decades in the United States, or even check those in
Canada or the UK. It often makes me
shiver when I think about the possibilities.
Sometimes I will show someone new to genealogy how to look up a Federal
Census record, and they are amazed, too.
You don’t have to be an “old timer” in genealogy to appreciate the power
of the internet.
After almost two decades of records appearing online freely
and in exponentially increasing frequency, there have been a few small steps
backward. Due to the proliferation of “identity
theft” several states have started requiring a few hoops you must go through in
order to obtain records, and this is not just on line. Here in New England there are states that
have cracked down on researchers. For
many years Connecticut has required genealogists to present a researcher
ID. This is easy to obtain, but requires
planning ahead, and has caught many people off guard. Last year Maine implemented the same.
Many other states across the US are starting to change
access to records. How do I know
this? Facebook, Twitter, genealogy blogs
and email have all brought me messages about bills up before the state
governments in faraway places like Pennsylvania [Vital Records Bill SB-361]. Not only do I know about this bill, I know
about the grassroots efforts against it, and about the meetings, discussions
and public hearings for and against.
This is a good thing!
The internet has brought records into our living rooms, but
it has also brought information about access to records right into my lap. Only a small percentage of records have been
scanned or transcribed for internet access.
But a huge percentage of records have been discussed, cataloged, indexed,
chatted about or written about on the internet.
If it’s not accessible, someone on the internet has written about how to
find it, who to contact, where it is located, how to write or call for copies,
and maybe even reviewed the contents.
This is one of the good things about using the internet for research, since
you have no excuse for not being prepared to visit any repository or library
anymore.
As access to records change, for the better or for the
worse, at least we can remain prepared. All
this discussion is invaluable. Someone
looking for the most obscure bit of data on someone who lived one hundred or
two hundred years ago can still find clues online, or at least hook up with
someone who can help out. It is the
people, volunteers and paid staff, all working behind the scenes, that make
this possible. And even when we lose
access to a repository, or lose an entire website (like the current shut down
of Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness)
through this incredible web of people online we can piece together new
ways of finding the same answers, clues, sources and data.
I know that my research has become much richer since I
recognized the fact that joining in on the discussions, blogging and online
chatting is the new way of finding resources… even if those resources aren’t
internet based. Anyone who toils away alone on their
genealogy research is missing out on the biggest advance in genealogy- the
people online and in person at your local or state genealogy clubs and societies.
A network of people can be more
valuable than a network of data. People
working together can overcome loss of record access, temporary or permanent.
Keep up the discussion!
In Maine Rep. Deborah Sanderson sponsored LD 258 to amend LD 1781 which
passed last year and closed vital records for 100 years. There is also Maine LD 388 which will lower
the fee for the state researcher ID card, and make it last for two years. You can tell that lawmakers are
reconsidering their previous votes, especially when tourism and the local
economy is affected by closing down access to Maine’s rich archives. We are making a difference!
-----------------
This post is a response to Thomas MacEntee’s Open Thread
Thursday discussion for 15 December 2011 at this link:
-------------------
Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
No comments:
Post a Comment