interesting stuff. nt > >>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. >> > ==== KYGEN Mailing List ==== Please check your links to the KyGenWeb page... http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb