Robin, I think this is, indeed, the original post about re-typing data, and getting data via text files off *very old* computers. ;-) I didn't get the message until today either, but obviously some people got it right away! Must be an Internet routing thing. (?) I don't usually have this problem thru Rootsweb, altho sometimes my sister answers e-mails from our other sibs before I see the first question. ;-) I think one of the people who answered in the first place knew that the fiche had been created from computer data in the 1980s. The question (about that) was whether someone could use the original tape/disks to recreate the data file. Dawn put that question to rest when she answered that the WSHS webmaster had told her that the original computer file had been thrown away by the Vital Records dept. Looks to me like this volunteer would like to get the microfilm of the original marriage records, and create a new file, at least for Oconto Co. She feels, as do I, that the fiche has too many errors. It's a valuable resource -- but I've found a lot of stuff on the microfilm that doesn't show up, at all, on the fiche. If I only used the Pre-1907 Indexes, I'd have very few relatives from Wisconsin. And one of my lines moved there in 1853! Marsha Robin Hoff Kaspar wrote: > > I'm soooo confused. Is this the original post about retyping data that was > originally typed in the 1980's? I read this list in list mode and the > replies post before the originals. Does anyone else get them this way? > > Anyway I don't see in this message where there is any mention of the data > from the fiche being transferred to computer in the 1980's. Am I just > getting half of it? > > I can't answer the question, I'm just trying to follow the thread LOL > > Robin Hoff Kaspar > Volunteer host, Grant County, Wisconsin WIGenweb > http://www.rootsweb.com/~wigrant > > -----Original Message----- > From: WIGEN-L-request@rootsweb.com > [mailto:WIGEN-L-request@rootsweb.com]On Behalf Of zorblitz > Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2000 1:34 PM > To: WIGEN-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [WIGEN-L] Help needed from you. > > Hello All, > > I received this letter yesterday, and would really like some input on > the many pertainent and complicated questions asked here, as I am no > expert. I believe that this is of general interest and use to most on > this list and I would like to give the best reply possible, because we > all know that " a motivated volunteer is a terrible thing to waste". > Thank you so much! Rita - Oconto CC > Hi! > > I was excited to see that someone else looked at those crazy pre-1907 > marriage fiche too! > > This may sound like a stupid question and I suppose that I could hunt > down the right "older" person at the Historical Society, but the > information on the fiche was generated by a computer in the 1980s???. > Where is that data now? Why would someone have to retype that in. I > kind of figure it has to be on some old mainframe on the UW Madison > campus and has not been touched in years, but is on a big tape at the > Historical Society that they would have to load on some machine. The > computer people should then be able to export it to a text file that > could be read by a word processor and loaded to the various webs. > What do you know about this? > > Now, I personally have a problem with the information on the fiche AND > since you are "in charge" of Oconto Co. maybe you could help me with > one of my crazy ideas! It appears that some of my relatives are not > listed in the index, but when I go to the actual rolls of film, they > are there and the film is quite readable. What I would like to > o ---- and I'm not too sure how fast I could do it -- or where to > start, would be to create a database of the information found on the > records from the 2 rolls of Oconto Co. Marriage Licenses (pre-1907). > > 1. Do you have copies of the rolls that UW GB has that I could > borrow? > 2. If not, do you know who does? > 3. Are copies available for sale? > 4. Do you know who might have a film reader that I might > borrow/rent during spring break? (March 17-25) > > Getting the film to Oshkosh is my first priority. I would like to > work starting in March, preferably at home, but I could always take my > laptop computer with me to the public library or create paper forms > (ugh). > > I found all sorts of information on the actual licenses that helped me > trace spouses and other information on women's married and maiden > names. If it were in a database, it could be sorted by church, > minister, dates, birthplaces, as well as searched by names..... > parents, bridesmaids, etc. > > So, what do you think? Can you help???? > > Kathy