I thought a few might be interested in this message from another list, <-----Original Message----- <From: Vanessa Roberts [mailto:[email protected]] <Sent: Saturday, December 05, 1998 1:51 PM <To: [email protected] <Subject: [TNCARROL-L] [ARWASHIN-L] Good News for researchers (fwd.) < < <>Resent-Date: Fri, 5 Feb 1999 21:18:10 -0800 (PST) <>From: [email protected] <>Date: Sat, 6 Feb 1999 00:18:08 EST <>Old-To: [email protected] <>X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 4 <>Subject: [ARWASHIN-L] Good News for researchers (fwd.) <>Resent-From: [email protected] <>X-Mailing-List: <[email protected]> archive/latest/277 <>X-Loop: [email protected] <>To: [email protected] <>Resent-Sender: [email protected] <> <> <>>From: "Carolyn R. Green" <[email protected]> <>>Subject: Good News for researchers..Rec'd from another List.. <> <>>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. <>> <>> <> <> <>==== ARWASHIN Mailing List ==== <> <> <> < < <==== TNCARROL Mailing List ==== <Contact listowner at [email protected] <Visit the Carroll County TN page at http://www.rootsweb.com/~tncarrol/ < <