Tag: indexing

FamilySearch’s Use of Artificial Intelligence and Handwriting Recognition

Note: This article was published previously on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   https://www.familysearch.org/en/newsroom/familysearch-get-involved-online-volunteer-experience I have been involved with learning about and reporting about handwriting recognition for genealogical research for a long time. I always thought about it being something distant in the future. Well, apparently, the future is now. In the past few years, organizations such as the Brigham...

New Video: Technology – Increasing Access to Archives

We’ve added a new QRB (Quick Research Basics) video to our YouTube Channel. This one is by Miles Meyer, Education Director for The Family History Guide Association and a frequent presenter at RootsTech. It’s titled “Technology – Increasing Access to Archives” and it discusses the following key topics, among others: Purpose and limitations of archives Microfilm and digitization projects Advances...

FamilySearch and Computer-assisted Indexing for Digitized Records

Note: This article was previously published on the Genealogy’s Star blog site.   https://www.thechurchnews.com/members/2021-10-29/computer-assisted-indexing-familysearch-records-231067This article is interesting from several different aspects. First, there are some interesting and updated statistics. Here is a quote with some of the statistics from the above linked article to start out. In September, FamilySearch announced a milestone 83 years in the making — the completion...

Giving Back to Your Community through Family History

Note: This article by Miles Meyer was previously published on the Miles Meyer Genealogy blog site and is used with the author’s permission. As family historians, much of our work is to record the history of our families and try to tell the stories of our ancestors. Some of us have specialized in specific parts of our research such as...

Indexing, Handwriting, and Google

Over the past few months I have been indexing FamilySearch death records from South Africa. It has been an interesting experience, and I have gained a new appreciation for the culture and people of that country. Indexing gives you a brief glimpse into the lives of people whom you otherwise never would have known. One of the educational benefits of...

Indexing in Other Languages: An Ever-Growing Need

A few days ago, my wife decided to do some indexing via FamilySearch while I was messaging my grandmother. As we were talking, I mentioned that my wife was indexing, and my grandmother made the following comment in response: “We’re running out of indexing projects for English.” This comment stuck out to me, knowing what I know about my grandmother....

Freedom on the Move: How Runaway Ads Contribute to African-American Family History

With the events going on at this time, many people are looking back in history to reflect on the difficult journey to freedom for minorities in the United States, particularly the black population. Anyone who has taken a U. S. History course should be aware of the horrific institution of slavery and its overall impact on not just U.S. society,...

The Miracle of Community Indexing

Editor’s Note: This article was written by Karen Meyer, Area Temple & Family History Consultant, North America Southwest. You open a heavy trunk, hidden by debris in a dusty attic. Lifting the lid, you see it is full of old pictures. You routinely turn them over in your hands. You notice that a few of the pictures have a name,...

Correcting Indexed Records on FamilySearch

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by James Tanner on his Rejoice, and Be Exceeding Glad blog site and is used with the author’s permission. For some years now, many genealogists have been asking FamilySearch for the option to correct indexed records. From the very beginning of the FamilySearch website, it has been obvious that some of the indexing...

Getting Our Posterity to Love Family History

Rootstech is almost here!  I am so excited to be returning to Salt Lake City to attend. I hope you are too! This is my 6th Rootstech experience and it just keeps getting better. Last year was my first year working for The Family History Guide.  Working in the Expo Hall at RT, teaching some mini-classes in our booth, doing demos of the...