IRL-LONGFORD-L Archives

From: "Jane Lyons" <>
Subject: [IRL-LONGFORD] Interest in genealogy - a can of worms............
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 00:57:49 +0100

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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• [IRL-LONGFORD] Interest in genealogy - a can of worms............ by "Jane Lyons" <>