FamilySearch Worldwide Indexing Event 2016

FamilySearch are holding their annual Worldwide Indexing Event from July 15 to July 17 and are looking for volunteers who will help them read records, transcribe them, and index them.

FamilySearch has the largest collection of genealogical records worldwide which it has amassed over many years. Most famously for Irish researchers, the Civil Registration Certificates (that they microfilmed in 1957-1958) are freely available at your local LDS Family History Centre and I have personally found them of immense help in my own family tree research.

Furthermore, they are free! And this saves you 4 euro per cert that you would have to pay if you ordered them via the General Registry Office in Ireland, a cost that would certainly mount up if you were to order a birth, marriage & death certificate for every single person in your tree!

FamilySearch collect records from all over the world and only a small proportion of their total records have been indexed so far. Last year they indexed 53 million records. This year they are hoping for something similar. And volunteers can help make these free records available to the rest of the world.

It is very simple to join in this event and instructions are available on their website.

Here is what they say about the event:

Whether you’ve indexed before or are new to indexing, you’re invited to participate in the annual Worldwide Indexing Event July 15–17, sponsored by FamilySearch.org. 

Indexing is the process of entering information from the world’s digitally scanned historical documents into a database, making it easily searchable online. People around the world can then search these indexed records to find their ancestors. Anyone with a computer and Internet connection can index records to perform meaningful service related to family history. (Learn how easy indexing is.) 

The goal for this year’s event is to have at least 72,000 volunteers index as many records as possible in a 72-hour period, July 15 to 17. 

FamilySearch Indexing is a great activity to introduce people to family history and help them become familiar with records people use to identify their ancestors. FamilySearch is especially interested in the participation of those with non-English language skills, since there is a huge opportunity to make more records available on FamilySearch.org for non-English speaking countries. 

“This is a wonderful opportunity to serve people worldwide who visit FamilySearch.org to find their ancestors,” said Jim Ericson, product manager at FamilySearch. “Indexing is a fun and engaging way to provide meaningful service and get involved in family history. Ultimately, those who index records enable joyful discoveries that strengthen family bonds around the world.” 

Go here to learn more, tell us if you are in, share it with your friends, and follow the progress.

So if you have some spare time on your hands during July 15-17, sign up to volunteer and help make records available for others to search. 

You may even be helping yourself find that elusive ancestor?!

Maurice Gleeson 

July 2016