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| Grandparents |
I devote several hours each week to indexing. This is the process of looking at scanned images of birth, death, census, property, military and other records, and typing the information into a format that is preserved digitally. These records are then made available, over the Internet, for anyone around the world to search for evidence, information and the identity of their relatives. The records have been collected from all around the world.
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| Grandfather |
As I read hundreds and thousands of names, I am drawn into imagining who they are. My mind tries to picture them, some single, newly married or with large families; some renting a room in a boarding house, some prisoners in jail. My mind pronounces their names with an accent from their country, such as Russian, Irish or Spanish. I imagine what they are wearing, what their homes look like and what they eat. My heart feels the tug of their trials, with infant death, a young widow or a life caught in prison or other possible tragedy. I care about them, and I take great care to try to interpret and spell their names and information correctly. I imagine what they might feel as I discover and read about them and their lives. I wonder what they would say to me, if they could.
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| Grandmother |
Recently, I found my father and mother in the United States 1930 and 1940 Census records. It was fascinating to see their names entered when they were children. I followed several of the links with the names of their parents and grandparents to see what information I could find. As a child, I always loved going on treasure hunts. And now, I have found real treasure.
If you want to search the records, or help with indexing, you can visit the following website:
familysearch.org
indexing
Article about the need for more international indexers:
http://www.lds.org/church/news/need-for-international-indexers-growing?lang=eng
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