Hi guys! Today I'm going to share something I'm super excited about. Many of you know that I am Mormon, or a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Some of you may even know that Mormons are huge proponents of family history work. We feel it a great honor to seek out our ancestors who have gone before us and "get to know them". This stems from our belief that family relationships continue beyond this mortal experience and that we are bound as families throughout eternity.
We are so blessed to live in the day and age we do, with internet access to places and things that we could only have dreamed of before. When I was a young teen -- in the olden days, pre-internet -- my friend and her mom went on a trip to Europe one summer so they could visit the places their ancestors had lived and actually search by hand through written records to find names and dates to fill in the gaps in their personal family history. That's what we had to do back in to day -- after spending hours in local libraries flipping through microfiche.
The internet helped us all clear that hurdle. Now we can access the World's records -- census reports, birth and death records, and other helpful information -- from the convenience of our own homes, as we sit in our living rooms in our PJ's. It's a HUGE blessing, but there is still so much work to be done! That's where indexing comes in.
Indexing is the process of transcribing handwritten records and entering the data online so it is freely searchable. Volunteers have made over one billion
historic records searchable online since FamilySearch introduced online
indexing in 2008. The demand for indexed records continues to grow as
millions of historical records worldwide are
added every year.
FamilySearch International is the
largest genealogy organization in the world. It is a nonprofit,
volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. FamilySearch and its predecessors
have been actively gathering, preserving, and sharing genealogical
records worldwide for over 100 years. You can access FamilySearch
services and resources free online at FamilySearch.org. You can also visit one of over
4,921 family history centers in 129 countries to receive help from knowledgeable volunteers.
How awesome is that?! Wanna' be a part of this amazing effort? From July 15-17, FamilySearch
International will sponsor the third annual “Worldwide Indexing Event,”
bringing 72,000 people from around the globe together online during a
72-hour event to save the world’s records by making
them searchable to the public.
During the 72-hour indexing period,
volunteers participate by downloading the FamilySearch software and
completing as many names as they would like. Anyone with a computer and
internet connection can join. No, you don't have to be Mormon! No, you are not committing yourself to a lifetime of genealogical research! Yes, you will have fun and be a part of something bigger than yourself!
To join 72,000 teammates in saving the World’s records, visit https://familysearch.org/worldsrecords.
I hope you'll join me and my family -- and 72,000 of our friends -- this weekend as we order a pizza, pull out our laptops, and get to work saving the World's records. Feel free to comment or message me with any questions you might have.
Have a great weekend, friends!
Amy
This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
0 friends said::
Post a Comment
Thanks for leaving a comment. I try to respond to every one, even if it takes me a little while!