Hello Family Researchers, I'm sure you've become kissin' cousins with the Italian Genealogy Group's massive online transcription project, whether you access it directly or via stevemorse.org, or directly at the musically enhanced http://www.italiangen.org/ Perhaps over your morning coffee, while watching birds pecking at their feeders. Ah, what a life. Well, last week I sent a donation to IGG. Why? Because I'm back and forth on their site so much, that I finally realized now I owe them, and it was a way to thank them & their generous volunteers. How many of you recall the earlier Rootsweb days? If you couldn't find a marriage on Ancestry.com, or familysearch.org, your next resort was the Brooklyn homepage. If these sources didn't have what you searched for, you were plum out of luck. Every time any new genie oriented site becomes public, the online buzz is essentially the same one sentence: "Is it worth the fee to join?" We've read posts ad infinitum about the NY Genie and Bio Society, New England, NYT, Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, and more recently about Footnote. "Is it worth it?" Perhaps you are unaware of what the IGG does and why they need your donations. Right now, they are transcribing NYC birth records for Manhattan and Brooklyn inclusive of 1881-1897. Next up is birth records for all boroughs from 1898-1907. With a little help from their friends, these projects can be complete by about year's end. Volunteer transcribers are all over the globe, and the IGG has tremendous expenses including a $12,000. scanner, and postage and paper for mailing handwritten records to transcribers. The IGG is 100% volunteer and provides records, whether your ancestors danced a jig, hora, or macarena! I'd hate to see this resource begin charging annual membership fees, or per look up prices of $9.95, just as the profit making sites now do! So, my dear genealogy lovers, please dig out your checkbooks, scrimp on the weekly family pizza, or the half tank of gas, and send our friends at IGG a nice donation, please. Be sure to include your name and email address to receive a tax donation email. It's a good thing. Send it on to John, and mention my name: Miz Scarlett> John Martino Project Coordinator 49 Brookhill Lane Huntington NY 11743 Many thanks for your generosity! It's up to you New York, New York. Pass it on! Post script: No one asked me to write this; and I have no personal gain from this request. ************** Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on family favorites at AOL Food. (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001)

I'm purposely leaving MizScarlettNY's post attached in it's entirety with one addition: check out the German Genealogy Group (www.germangenealogygroup.com) also. It's an online group led by the same person and I've gotten so much info from it that I volunteer for them and help transcribe new documents. Help both groups out by sending in a donation, joining their groups, or volunteer you time to do transcription...or do all three! These two groups are amazing! Cathy in Fenton, MO MizScarlettNY@aol.com wrote: Hello Family Researchers, I'm sure you've become kissin' cousins with the Italian Genealogy Group's massive online transcription project, whether you access it directly or via stevemorse.org, or directly at the musically enhanced http://www.italiangen.org/ Perhaps over your morning coffee, while watching birds pecking at their feeders. Ah, what a life. Well, last week I sent a donation to IGG. Why? Because I'm back and forth on their site so much, that I finally realized now I owe them, and it was a way to thank them & their generous volunteers. How many of you recall the earlier Rootsweb days? If you couldn't find a marriage on Ancestry.com, or familysearch.org, your next resort was the Brooklyn homepage. If these sources didn't have what you searched for, you were plum out of luck. Every time any new genie oriented site becomes public, the online buzz is essentially the same one sentence: "Is it worth the fee to join?" We've read posts ad infinitum about the NY Genie and Bio Society, New England, NYT, Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, and more recently about Footnote. "Is it worth it?" Perhaps you are unaware of what the IGG does and why they need your donations. Right now, they are transcribing NYC birth records for Manhattan and Brooklyn inclusive of 1881-1897. Next up is birth records for all boroughs from 1898-1907. With a little help from their friends, these projects can be complete by about year's end. Volunteer transcribers are all over the globe, and the IGG has tremendous expenses including a $12,000. scanner, and postage and paper for mailing handwritten records to transcribers. The IGG is 100% volunteer and provides records, whether your ancestors danced a jig, hora, or macarena! I'd hate to see this resource begin charging annual membership fees, or per look up prices of $9.95, just as the profit making sites now do! So, my dear genealogy lovers, please dig out your checkbooks, scrimp on the weekly family pizza, or the half tank of gas, and send our friends at IGG a nice donation, please. Be sure to include your name and email address to receive a tax donation email. It's a good thing. Send it on to John, and mention my name: Miz Scarlett> John Martino Project Coordinator 49 Brookhill Lane Huntington NY 11743 Many thanks for your generosity! It's up to you New York, New York. Pass it on! Post script: No one asked me to write this; and I have no personal gain from this request. -- Cathy Champion in Fenton, MO (St. Louis) http://spittingnickels.blogspot.com/ Nobody is Perfect I am Nobody Therefore I am Perfect