Hello everyone, I am forwarding this message--not because I am endorsing it or encouraging you to participate. The only reason I am doing this is to let you know about it in case you are interested. Also, I know at least two of the participants (Larry Stephens, formerly the MAISER listmaster; and Billie McNamara of Tennessee) are both reputable people, and would not have made their decisions to get involved with this lightly. I apologize if you receive duplicate copies. Just delete if you're not interested. Contact Joan Rose or check their web site if you are. Judy [email protected] >From: [email protected] >Date: Mon, 9 Jun 1997 23:24:13 -0400 (EDT) >Subject: usigs <snip> >This is a news story concerning formation of a new internet genealogical >society for the purpose of making thousands of .raw data and records >available, FREE, on the internet. > Would you be so kind as to run this story, or as much of it as you feel you >can, on any lists that you own or control? >Thank you > >By JOAN ROSE >As one-stop shopping at the Mall has simplified buying habits, founders >of a new national genealogical organization are hoping to do likewise >with integrated research sites on the internet for American root tracers. > >Traditionally, American genealogists have had to rely on a paper trail in >often distant libraries, musty courthouse basements and weed grown >cemeteries to lead to their elusive ancestors. Only recently, in the last >five years, have they turned to the Internet to find information that >others have written into cyberspace for them. Internet resources have >been multiplying rapidly in the past two years, but available information >is often sketchy, always scattered and frequently without the >documentation so dear to the earnest researcher�s heart. > >The United States Internet Genealogical Society in May was incorporated >as a non-profit corporation under the laws of California with four major >goals and lots of little ones. USIGS, as it will be known on the Net, >not only will seek out, index and point to all kinds of research data for >free public access online, but it will seek out funding grants and >contributions to help defray the costs of puting it there. > >"The Internet will be the Genealogical Research Library of the 21st >Century," believes James Streeter, USIGS president and a descendant of >the Mayflower, who has been working on his family history for 35 years to >include 6500 individuals in 50 generations. > >"USIGS brings a new concept to the genealogy community," he explained, >inasmuch as "it is dedicated to provide FREE online access to records of >interest to the entire genealogy community." > >To this end, USIGS will encourage volunteers, both individuals and >groups, to transcribe their records to websites, it will correlate all >such information now online and that which is to come, and it will raise >funds to pay for costs incurred in such mammoth projects as eventually >putting online U.S. Census records, a long-time dream of many >internetters. > >USIGS is not unlike an international organization, IIGS, which came into >being at the same time about two months ago, and with some overlapping >founders. The two will not compete, but will complement each other and >work together in some fields for the benefit of genealogists. USIGS, >however, will concern itself with American records, primarily of the >United States, while IIGS will be open for world-wide research. > >Unlike IIGS, USIGS has a tightly structured executive branch, including a >12-member board of directors, a staff of officers who will oversee all >projects and fund-raising activities and appointed committees with >definitely-delineated duties and missions. > >Besides Streeter, of Buena Park, Calif., newly-elected officers include: >Tom Ward of Columbus, Kans., vice president; Linda Lewis of Rancho >Cucamonga, Calif., secretary; and Jerry E. Dill of Emmett, Idaho, >treasurer. > >Board members are Don E. Dale of Kansas, David M. Leininger of Mahomet, >Ill., >and Billie McNamara of Knoxville, Tenn., who are now holding one year >terms; Donald >L. Spidell of Safford, Ariz., Ken Hollingsworth of Redlands, Calif., >John Rigdon of South Carolina, and Larry V. Stephens of Bloomington, Ind., >now holding >two year terms; and Nancy Trice of Hopkins County, KY, Pat Smith of >Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, and John G. West of Evansville, Ind., >who are now holding three year terms. > >Vacancies are now being filled by appointment as worthy Web Genealogists >volunteer for membership. > >USIGS has set up a web site at: > http://www.dsenter.com/usigs/ >and is providing ongoing membership information to those who subscribe to >its members list. Committees already formed and chairmen are listed. >?volunteers are needed to assist in all of them and in the various projects >that are in process of getting started. > >At this time membership is free, and all interested are encouraged to >sign on at the USIGS home page. Members will be asked to volunteer time, >talents, expertise and ideas as needed and to spread the word to their >local organizations and other online sites to assist USIGS in getting up >and running. > >One of its main functions is to solicit grants from corporate sponsorship >and other sources and through tax-deductible contributions. Streeter has >indicated that "announcement of a major source of funding may be expected >soon." Any funds received will be distributed to individuals or >organizations for specific projects. > >No priority list has been set up to receive first funds available, but >one major project identified by organizers has been the Census Project, >beginning perhaps with that of 1850, to put the entire census data, state >by state and county by county, on line. > >Streeter emphasized that all records funded by USIGS will be available on >line free to anyone with internet access. USIGS was not set up to make >money, he stressed, but to find money to further transcription and >preservation of genealogical data at internet sites. > >USIGS does not plan to duplicate work already in progress by other online >groups, such as the USGenWeb project, he noted, but to coordinate that >work to make such data readily accessible. Streeter and other officers >and directors are associated with one or more of these other >organizations in top management and/or working positions. > >Work will depend largely on local volunteers who will be able to access >various physical locations, transcribe or scan records and create a site >online to store and maintain it. > >As envisioned, this is a program that will take many years to bring to >fruition, and probably never will be completed. But as more and more >research sources are transferred to the internet, more and more family >tree tracers will be able to pursue their hobby at home. >------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- >\ > > >