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| Last updated at 11:32 AM on 11/05/07 |
Adding to genealogy sources 
DIANA TIBERT
The Amherst Citizen
MILFORD – Have you heard of the expression, “ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” This applies to genealogy, too - ask not what genealogists can do for you - ask what you can do for genealogists.
How many times have you discovered information about your ancestors from books, unpublished manuscripts, websites and CDs? Who creates these sources? Are they professional genealogists?
Well, some are, but the majority of these sources are created by people like you and me who have a passion for genealogy and who like to help others with their research.
During the process of creating a database, information is often discovered on our own families that may have otherwise never been found. This happened to me during my research on the Veterans of Guysborough County. While going through First World War obituaries for the project, I discovered one for my father’s cousin. This man had vanished without a trace from the area where he was born and raised. I didn’t even know he had served in the war. His obituary led to discoveries for other family members.
Some of us have access to information unpublished in a genealogical format. It could be a family bible with births, marriages and deaths for several generations, a scrapbook of clippings from a local newspaper or a collection of old community photographs.
If you don’t have a private collection, look to outside sources. Local museums and historical groups often have on-going project to organize, transcribe and index information. Many have taken on the mammoth task of making an inscription database of every headstone in all known local burial grounds.
Another way to contribute to the genealogy world is by becoming a volunteer with the Nova Scotia GenWeb Project (http://www.rootsweb.com/~canns/). Maybe you don’t know how to create websites, post information or have a lot of time to dedicate, but there are still things that can be done. Check out the sources already available and see if you can add to them.
One way to find a source that has not already been created is by running into brick walls. For example, if you have tried without success to find the birth of your great-grandfather and learn there are no records immediately available, then see where they can be found. They might be in the church basement or on microfilm at the archives. If you take on the task of transcribing them, chances are you will find what you are looking for and more. And you will help others with their research.
So the next time you search the 1911 Canada Census (http://www.automatedgenealogy.com/index.html) or purchase a book from the archives with births, marriages and deaths for a given time period, think about the hours of work that went into creating it. And then think about how you can contribute to the genealogy information bank.
Researcher’s File…
Seeking information on the Bradshaw family in Nova Scotia. Joseph Bradshaw married Eunice Dunham in 1815, settled and are buried in Summerville, Hants County. Also, Captain Stephen who is buried in Summerville. His family went to New England States. Contact: Ted Sanford, RR#2 Cambridge, Kings Co., NS B0P 1G0; email: tedsanford@ ns.sympatico.ca
EDITOR’s NOTE - Diana Lynn Tibert is a freelance writer living in Milford, NS. Submit genealogy queries to RR1 Milford, Hants County, NS B0N 1Y0; or email: tibert@ns.sympatico.ca
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12/05/07
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