I agree on importance of original images. Here is what I do to capture desired census data to my computer: (a) Save census index data as an image by using print screen (select only index info, not whole screen) (b) Save original census image by using ³save as² function (for the whole screen) (c) Save to their own folder using this example naming: €ZAHNER - census images & indexes € - used to indicate surname is direct ancestry (d) Name the above two image files by consisting using these format examples: census ZAHNER_Louis Frederick + ENGEL_Mary Magdalena (Lena) 1920 KS image.png census ZAHNER_Louis Frederick + ENGEL_Mary Magdalena (Lena) 1920 KS index.jpg John Rudnick > Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2012 07:42:35 -0600 > From: "Scott and Tammy Stevenson" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [LDS-WC] LDS-WARD-CONSULTANT Digest, Vol 7, Issue 105 > To: <[email protected]> > > One more thing to keep in mind- we are creating an "index" > making the censuses and other records more readily searchable. > But in the end, it's always best for the researcher to go to the > original image and as I teach "see what your eyes see, and not > what those of the indexer saw." I am grateful for the many hours > spent indexing- definitely easier for me to double check a few > possibilities than to search through endless pages to find what > I am looking for. And helpful for me as an indexer and arbitrator > to think I am doing my best, but knowing those searching their > own ancestors may see things a little differently than I do, > having experienced that myself. > > Tamara Stevenson

John wrote about how he saves originals. I do something similar using the "snipping tool". It is a free accessory that started with Vista. It is a wonderful tool if you have never used it. It creates a jpg of anything you want to capture. I open a Word file and title the doc like this: Smith Miller, Sarah, b. 1870, with parents 1880 Michigan US Federal Census. Then I go and snip the original usually just snipping the family that I am interested in rather than the whole page. I also snip the title and citation for the document as well as key in the site that I got the data from. One more snip for the index after that. I then key in any data that I want to as a note. So it might go like this: "Father is missing from this census because he has already immigrated to Canada. Sarah Smith married Joe Smith. Joe Smith is the son of John Smith, b. 1850 and Sarah Weeks, b. 1852."\ Last thing that I put on the document is: "Collected 28 April 2012" or whatever the correct date is. I save it as a Word docx. The only problem is if you share a document like this, you have to convert it to a PDF because the imbedded jpgs do not send well as part of emailing. Things that I really like about this system is that you have both the original in and the index in the same document instead of needing 2 different ones. I can make notes of anything I like and I can edit the notes in the Word doc if I want to change it as some point. Lately, I have been listing both a husband and a wife on separate lines as a title and perhaps a child and saving the same document in 2 or 3 different files to make an easy reference when I am searching for them. The negative about listing several people is if you make changes to your notes then you have to do it to all the documents. If anyone is interested in a sample PFD of this method, they can contact me offline at: [email protected] Subject "Sample PFD" and I will be happy to send it as an attachment so you can actually see what it looks like. Nancy Scott

Ooops! Correction to my note example: It should have read like this: "Sara Smith married Joe Miller and then the Miller parents." In my title I always put the maiden name first and then the married surname. If a women married more than once, I put the surnames in that order. Nancy Scott

Last week I requested Nancy's tutorial on the snipping tool, and neglected to thank her for sending it to me. I've tried it out and do like it. It's especially useful for those "smaller" records that can be captured in one pass, such as death certificates, earlier censuses that didn't ask for so much info, etc. Thank you, Nancy Scott! Alice Allen Oakhurst Ward Family History Consultant Vancouver WA Stake -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Nancy Scott Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2012 12:41 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [LDS-WC] "always best ... to go to the original image" John wrote about how he saves originals. I do something similar using the "snipping tool". It is a free accessory that started with Vista. It is a wonderful tool if you have never used it. It creates a jpg of anything you want to capture. <snip>