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Archiver > IRL-CORK > 2001-10 > 1003717651


From: "jeanine matthews" <>
Subject: Re: Interest in genealogy - a can of worms............
Date: Sun, 21 Oct 2001 22:27:31 -0400
References: <00b801c15a8c$17405d60$c990cbc1@computer>


Janet....

It seems to me that everyone here in the USA tries to help one another. We
have people who care about genealogy and try to save each other money by
offering to do free lookups when & where we can & take cemetary photos for
others who don't live in the area and all that is expected is the postage &
copying charges and the cost of the pictures and, of course, a thank you.
There is a group called Random Acts of Genealogy Kindness, aka RAOGK...and
many other groups on websites who do this just to help, as others have
helped us. We have people who volunteer to transcribe records so they can
be posted for all of us to use, most at no cost. We have librarians who go
out of their way to help, because it's their job to do so and because they
love their jobs. Most get as big a kick out of finding something, as the
person for whom they are looking. I have had that happen to me when I was
searching in the NJ Archives & the librarian/genealogist working there was
so excited, as she helped me, it brought tears to my eyes.
I found it very disheartening that everthing in Ireland has a LARGE fee
attached to it. For instance, I found a match in the Irish Marriages in
Trim, County Meath. They wanted $25.00 for the record and I'm not even sure
it's my family! And that is only one record.
Genealogy is the #2 hobby in America. Yes, it's a big business, but there
is also alot of free information available and we have Archives we can go to
& look up records and do our own research, just for the price of a copy of
the document you want. Some libraries chage 15 cents a copy, some 50
cents...depending where you are.
I'm sure there is a market for your hard work and many people will buy it.
I would probably try to sell it to all the libraries offering genealogy
services in the US so everyone has access to it. And if I found that your
book had many of my family in it, yes, I would probably purchase it,
especially if it had pictures of my ancestor's graves and was worth the
price tag. That would be wonderful to pass along to the family.
But, I must tell you how very frustrating it is to try to research in
Ireland & everything has a large dollar or pound sign attached to it. It
seems to me that Ireland has seen the light with all the Americans,
Canadians & Aussies trying to research their forefathers and have decided to
cash in on it.
Just my thoughts....
Blessings...
Jeanine


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jane Lyons" <>
To: <>
Sent: Sunday, October 21, 2001 7:57 PM
Subject: Interest in genealogy - a can of worms............


> and I guess that is what I will open as soon as this mail hits the
> lists.............and I intend to send it to more than the Ireland_
> Genealogy Group that I have set up.
>
> I'm not too sure how I will handle the replies though. That I have to
think
> about.
>
> Before I begin, I apologise to those who will see this on many lists, I
feel
> there is a need to try and get as much response as possible - *and* I
think
> this will be a long email.
>
> Many who know my name have heard me 'whinge' over the years because if I
> want to publish my graveyard transcriptions then I have to pay for the
> publication.........and I have to find the people who would want to buy
any
> such publication. Many realise how important gravestones are. Many hear
of
> this or that publication re the area they are interested in and want so
> badly to get a copy............
>
> Few know of the many publications on gravestone transcriptions that have
> been done in Ireland. For most cases they have been published in
> Archaeological and Historical Journals, or even as stand alone Memorial
> Transcriptions for a county - limited publications, a few donated to
various
> libraries around the world.
>
> I am writing this mail because an Ireland_Genealogy subscriber wrote to me
> telling me of someone who has transcribed a number of parish records for
one
> Irish county - many years work - and who cannot get this published -
> *because* there is no proof that there are any people who would buy such a
> publication.
>
> I'll tell you a little about transcription works.......for those of you
who
> aren't familiar with records. I once set out to transcribe the parish
> records for the county I have so many gravestone transcriptions for, I
> wanted to match everything up (simple amn't I? <g>), I set myself one year
> at this project. A friend asked me how long it would take - exactly - to
> complete the whole county and I said I hadn't a clue. How on earth can you
> estimate something like that? My friend said "You've a brain, you're an
> analyst - go figure" So, I went in to the National Library the next day
and
> got my film..........I timed myself writing out the first page of each
> section of the register........the information on each page was different,
> it took me between 20 and 30 mins to write down what was there. I would
> have had 8+ separate entries on each page. Then, I counted how many pages
> were in each register on the film. All in all (and I'm working off the
top
> of my head here) I calculated that it would take me 365 days of 5 hours in
> the archives to transcribe the material - after that I had to go home and
> put it all into my computer - and after that, I would have had to print it
> out and check it all.
>
> For all that work, I would have covered somewhere between 8 and 10 parish
> registers for my one county..........and they were only RC registers - I'd
> still have had to head to all the other films and all the other religions.
>
> Now, I continuously see people talking on the mail lists about Family
> History Centres here in Ireland, those who have records on film or who are
> transcribing records - and very few have a nice thing to say about them.
I
> continuously see people refer to the fact that in Ireland, it is young
> people who had no jobs to whom the transcribing of records was handed
over.
> I know myself, that I have sat looking at the records for a parish and a
> professional genealogist was standing behind me at the time and that
person
> said something about one of the surnames in the records - and while the
> surname sounded like the one I was thinking of, it was a different
> surname...............I believed it to be one name and the other person
> another - each of us would have written down a different surname if we had
> been asked what it was.
>
> I believe I have some experience with records and script. I know the
other
> genealogist to be a very experienced and knowledgeable person where Irish
> genealogy is concerned.
>
> Who-ever would have been correct is irrelevant for the moment - what is
> relevant is that you have to be familiar with names in an area. It
matters
> that it was young inexperienced people who did the transcribing of Irish
> records for those of you who want the information - but it should also be
> recognised that at least some effort was made to transcribe these
records -
> for most who do manage to employ a Family History Centre here or a
> professional geanalogist and who do have a surname that can be confused
with
> another - then you know that you need to double check.
>
> I would put it to you that Ireland and Irish records are no different than
> in any other country in the world - that for every country there are
> probably the same problems - but because you look here and Ireland can be
so
> very far away, it becomes an even bigger problem.
>
> Now, many records have been published in the past, in our old journals.
> Many people today weep and gnash their teeth because there are no records
> for this or that area - we have had many genealogists or family historians
> who transcribed our records before the fire in 1922............only few
know
> of these publications. We have many parish records that are not part of
the
> general 'parish record' listing for any county, becasue they simply
survive
> as manuscripts held by the National Library and not as part of the general
> something donated or filmed and belonging to any religion.
>
> Many complain of the lack of interest that the Irish have in their family
> history. That they hold onto information passed down through generations.
> I personally have over 60 first cousins on one side - I only know those
who
> were born in the same era as myself - if I even know that many - why would
I
> want to find more relatives? It's the same for all the Irish in
> Ireland.......
>
> But it's not for you.
>
> I'm trying to explain us and our attitudes..........while I also want to
get
> something else across.
>
> Here in Ireland, genealogy is not recognised as being all that
> important...........we have other things to do. Most complain about the
few
> Irish in Ireland they will find on mail lists - that those few who do lurk
> are not willing to help. Few realise how many there are who want
> information compared to the numbers who have some interest and would
help -
> statistically.
>
> My inbox currently has 1000 emails - yet, I have all the county lists I am
> subscribed to with folders of their own and mail filtered to them. The
> earliest date on my mail is July 2001. Maybe that says something. (I
have
> computer problems :-)!!
>
> When I was big into my graveyards - and the amount of work, time, energy,
> and even visible monetory costs that go into the transcribing of one small
> graveyard is a lot - I contacted various publishers and I was told that
> there was no interest in graveyard transcriptions.
>
> To me, those transcriptions are so important, because I know the kinds of
> questions you all ask. I know that parish records are so
> important.............they are what you really, really seek - the basic
> starting point.
>
> You, are the people who seek, some of us Irish in Ireland or Irish abroad
> are the people who have and who can't publish - *because* we have no
> inkling, no proof of how much interest is out there.
>
> How many people are there who if they knew the parish records for their
area
> were published would buy them......
>
> How many people would buy graveyard transcriptions..........
>
> It's my opinion that there are many, that the rootsweb mail lists and any
> others only represent a very small proportion of the 'searchers'. I see
and
> hear so many people in the various Irish archives who haven't got a clue
on
> how to do their research.......I think it's something like they're on
their
> way to Ireland and suddenly realise what it means to them and then begin
to
> work on their family history..............
>
> The internet is a very big place - it makes the world so
> small............but in reality, it's really very small itself - compared
to
> the numbers who want to find their Irish Ancestry.
>
> This has been long...........and it may have been in my usual rambling
> fashion.
>
> It just so happens that I am in a position where I may in the future be
able
> to show a publisher whether or not there would be an interest in
> publications from Ireland with parish record data, with gravestone
> transcriptions........
>
> I'd like to be able to say all you have to do is tick this or that box and
I
> can work it all out statistically as towhat you want to see published -
what
> you would support - and I mean that word 'support' - there's no point in
you
> saying I'd like to see this or that........and then for you to go asking
on
> the web if anyone has a copy that they'd look up for you.
>
> There's no point in you all giving out about Ireland and the Irish here,
not
> if you look to your own country, to those who regardless of reasons make a
> profit from genealogy. My mothers cousin was over from Washington a few
> years ago and she brought some genealogy magazines for me - and the main
> message that was coming across was how much of a business it all is.
>
> I've seen many stones thrown our way............and there are so few of
us
> on the web - there's no way we will stand up for ourselves.
>
> For once and for all - and for the moment I'll leave it at county basis.
>
> two questions then - maybe it can get broken down from here.
>
> Records - would you buy them if they were available for your
> area...........would you encourage your local family history society to
buy
> them?
>
> What kind of records do you want? Pure genealogy? The history of the
area?
> Irish stories and history......
>
> Would you buy something even though it did not help you specifically -
> simply to encourage those with Irish records to publish?
>
> I'm only trying to think here - what do the researchers want? What is it
you
> would encourage people to publish?
>
> It all boils down to economics.
>
> That's life............whether we like it or not
>
> Jane
> I would appreciate it if you would forward this mail to anyone who you
think
> may be interested in commenting on my last few questions. I have my
family
> history - and my family..........I would like to show others that there is
> an interest in Irish family history.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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