This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --part0_918714397_boundary Content-ID: <0_918714397@inet_out.mail.aol.com.1> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII --part0_918714397_boundary Content-ID: <0_918714397@inet_out.mail.aol.com.2> Content-type: message/rfc822 Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-disposition: inline From: SARASLEUTH@aol.com Return-path: <SARASLEUTH@aol.com> To: Art & Liz Brouse <aabrouse@juno.com>, William & Maryanne Alcorn <alcornland@msn.com>, Kathryn Balis <Balis2@aol.com>, Marcia Berkey <berkeybunch@home.com>, Gr0000vie@aol.com, Mgblackcl@aol.com, David_Black@BYU.edu, Carol Sheldon <celticgem@aol.com>, cllouise@juno.com, Mark & Sherry Cookman <cookiesx5@juno.com>, Connie Murphy <conster66@aol.com>, DorDay@aol.com, Mary Ann Duke <DrMad92@aol.com>, BJSGen@aol.com, absiesta@earthlink.net, Cookiesx5@juno.com, lewisemail@earthlink.net, RiddickJ@aol.com, KTraut6628@aol.com, Mckejon2@aol.com, DearMYRTLE@aol.com, Tom119@aol.com, timberman@home.com, woodfordbks@home.com, JWry2905@aol.com, itshelt@erols.com, Nina Trautman <ktraut6628@aol.com>, Mercedes Seymour <LaVuida1@aol.com>, Joe Murphy <sirjam87@aol.com>, Diana & Roger Saunders <sleepy400@webtv.net>, Al Swinyard <VTJM52A@prodigy.com> Subject: Fwd: Ellis Island Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 00:10:36 EST Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: multipart/mixed; boundary="part1_918714397_boundary" --part1_918714397_boundary Content-ID: <0_918714397@inet_out.mail.aol.com.3> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Just a little note I received and am passing it along FYI. Jan --part1_918714397_boundary Content-ID: <0_918714397@inet_out.mail.aol.com.4> Content-type: message/rfc822 Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-disposition: inline From: GFSBARB@aol.com Return-path: <GFSBARB@aol.com> To: AKeisacker@aol.com Subject: Fwd: Ellis Island Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 08:37:15 EST Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: multipart/mixed; boundary="part2_918714397_boundary" --part2_918714397_boundary Content-ID: <0_918714397@inet_out.mail.aol.com.5> Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Will be great news for any of us that had ancestors come through Ellis Island, before this we were told it would only be available by going to Ellis Island to view them. The opening of the Family History Center at Ellis Island will be a real blessing for those that do go there to visit, they will have a place to go immediately to check if their names are there. Maybe it will inspire them to have their families named engraved on the walls to preserve the site. BARB --part2_918714397_boundary Content-ID: <0_918714397@inet_out.mail.aol.com.6> Content-type: message/rfc822 Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-disposition: inline From: BJSGen@aol.com Return-path: <BJSGen@aol.com> To: GFSBARB@aol.com Subject: Ellis Island Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 08:20:16 EST Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit >From From: Gail Shearin <aussies@earthlink.net> > > ARCHIVE PUTS HUDDLED MASSES ON-LINE - Volunteers scanning Ellis Island > Records. (SF Examiner 2/2/99) > > Climbing the family tree will take a lot less clawing as soon as a nonprofit > foundation finishes a more than $15 million project to post Ellis Island > immigration records on the internet. > By helping people to access information instantly that previously was buried > in a bureaucratic quagmire, the project will revolutionize genealogicial > research for many of the more than 113 million Americans who already actively > pursue their family histories. > Officials at the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation in NY, the same > organization that gave Lady Liberty a face lift in 1986 without any public > funding, estimate that more than 40% of Americans can trace their European > ancestry back to Ellis Island. > "This is going to be a reference point", said Vern Deubler, Pres. of the > Calif. Genealogical Society, which was based in San Francisco for a century > before moving to Oakland this year. "It's going to provide people with very > important leads". > By the end of next year, the foundation hopes, people will be able to enter > any information they know about a progenitor and the program will search more > than 20 million records for a match. The software will even be able to > tolerate misspellings. > If a match is found, the researcher can choose to print out a photo of the > ship and a copy of the original manifesto that marked the immigrant's arrival. > At Fisherman's Wharf on Monday, Stephen Briganti, Chairman of the > foundation, said the new database would especially help Bay Area researchers. > He said the Bay Area remains one of the major hubs for Eliis Island > immigrants and their descendants. Tens of thousands of immigrants came here > after arriving through the port, first to fuel the Industrial revolution and > later to farm wine grapes. He said first generation travelers from the main > Ellis Island years - 1892 to 1924 - still live in the area. > Briganti added that Californians' interest in Ellis Island immigration > research, based on requests for the foundation's resources, is outstripped > only by New yorkers'. > The database - which organizers say could be ready by the end of 2000 - > will catalog records of almost 20 million immigrants who flooded the tiny NY > Harbor island. Until now, those documents have been stored at the National > Archives and Immigration and Naturalization Service in the clunky microfilm > format. > The first phase of the project was to collect and digitize records and > install computers at the museum. > Now, Briganti said, putting the information on the Internet has become a top > goal as well. > "We're pretty confident this is going to work," Briganti said. "It's not > perfect, but it's light years ahead of going to the Archives." > A demonstration of the system showed that a reseacher can enter information > in any or all of 11 fields, which ask for personal information such as the > subject's name and country of birth, and immigration, like the subject's port > of entry. > Foundation spokeswoman Peg Zitko said the project got off the ground when a > nationwide network of Mormon volunteers agreed to digitize the microfilm > information for free. Thousands of volunteers have logged more than 2 million > hours; they've entered 3/5's of the data so far. > A spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake > City said the project was important to the church's mission. "We've always > been involved in genealogy," said Dan Rascon, "because linking to our family > helps us understand who we are and what we may become." > Information on the project may be found at www.ellisisland.org on the > internet. > > (And I just want you all to know that I typed this, not scanned, so I hope I > get some appreciation out there!!!!!!!! Best, and good night! Terry in > Calif.) PS, Please feel free to pass this along to other genealogy lists. > --part2_918714397_boundary-- --part1_918714397_boundary-- --part0_918714397_boundary--