FYI - > ----Original Message----- > From: Virginia Ewing [mailto:vewing@ctesc.net] > Sent: Monday, March 01, 1999 5:00 PM > Subject: LDS FAMILY SEARCH COMING SOON > > As the director of a LDS Family History Center, I have received a notice > from Salt Lake LDS FHL, announcing the Beta testing of Family Search on > line. It is not yet up, a problem with a piece of equipment, but will > be starting sometime this month and will be up only a few weeks as a > test run. > > If there is not a lot of interest it will be taken off and not put back > on. So spread the word and keep trying to get through. When it comes on > line the URL will be: http://www.familysearch.org > > I have not been told exactly what will be available but know at least > the Ancestral File and Family History Library Catalog will be included. > > Family Search is the name of the program we have on CDs in all LDS FHCs. > Some public libraries also have this program. FS includes the IGI, > Ancestral File, Family History Library Catalog, Social Security Death > Records, Koran and Vietnam war death records, and Scottish Church > Records. > > For those of you not familiar with the various searches, the IGI is the > International Genealogical Index. It includes, in alphabetical order, > all of the names that have been sent to the Temples to have ordinances > performed in their name. > > Names in the IGI are usually submitted by members, but not always. > Non-members also submit their family names to get them into the IGI. > Some of the marriages may have been part of extraction programs. The > names were taken from courthouse records and checked and rechecked by > several volunteers before being accepted as correct. > > Most people do try to send in accurate information but there are many > mistakes. My advice is, always check the original source. Use the IGI > to find where people with your surname would have lived and order the > census and court records from that area. > > Ancestral File is Gedcoms of group and pedigree sheets sent in by > members and non-members. The name and address of the submitter is > included and hopefully will allow you to contact others working on your > line. If the address is out of date sometimes a letter to the Membership > dept. in Salt Lake will get you a correct address if the person was a > member of the LDS church. > > Once again, the material is only as good as the research that went into > it and some of it is pretty bad. Check it out before you 'adopt' it. > > If you find a mistake on Ancestral File, you can send in your corrections, > along with your sources of proof, and it will be noted in the next update. > The first submitter does not have to provide proof, but you do, if you are > making a correction. You can add additions to a file, or submit a new > file. You do not have to be a member to submit material. > > The Family History Library Catalog is a listing of every book, film and > fiche available at the Salt Lake City LDS Family History Library. This > allows us to find what is available for each locality, world-wide. It > includes the FHL call numbers and a description of what is included in the > film/fiche or book. > > The material from the books and film/fiche will not be on line. That is > not something they can do, at this time. Hopefully it will be a > possibility some time in the distant future. > > The film and fiche will still have to be ordered through FHC. Microfilm > and microfiche are the property of the FHL and are sent into the care of > the LDS FHC director and must remain under her/his care until returned. > For this reason they are never allowed to be taken from the LDS FHC. > > Almost all of the microfilm and microfiche at the LDS Family History > Library in Salt Lake City can be ordered into any LDS FHL, anywhere in > the world, but there are a few exceptions. Copyright laws prevent them > from using material without the written consent of the owner. Some of the > film and fiche where filmed by companies other than the LDS Church and > permission to circulate these film to LDS FHCs has been denied. There > will be a notice included in the description, saying it can not be > circulated. Many of the SC microfilm where made by a company who has > refused permission to allow the film to be circulated, but there are many > microfilm available for SC, some covering the same material that is on > the restricted film. > > The LDS FHL is a non-profit organization, and that is why it still cost > only 15 cents a sheet for a microfiche, $3.25 plus tax to rent a > microfilm for a month [may be more in other countries] and the > SourceGuide and other home use programs are sold at such a reasonable > price. We aren't allowed to make a profit, even in the FHCs. > > The books that are listed are not loaned out but can sometimes be > obtained through an Inter-library loan through your public library. > You can request copies of pages and if a book is indexed, by ordering the > index you can see if your people would have been listed. In cases where > the copyright has expired the book may have been filmed or can be filmed > upon request. Never hurts to ask. > > Virginia Ewing vewing@ctesc.net > listowner: Gober, Perry, Ashley & MSWilkin[son] co, MS > search the mailing list archives at > http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl< From: "TIAKI" <TIAKI@prodigy.net> Carolyn Mussina Seaman Kinderhook, NY <gregseaman@berk.com>