I Almost Missed an Opportunity...Because of the Accent

I almost missed an opportunity today because of a foreign accent.

My phone rang, the area code was one near the Columbus, Ohio exchange.  I live an hour north of Columbus.

I didn't recognize it, so I didn't answer it.

Less than five minutes later, the same number called me again.

Oh, alright.

The absolute thickest accent I have ever heard began talking.  I was nearly ready to just thank them for calling and hang up when I heard, "Peggy?  Is this Peggy?"

Pressing the phone to my ear as tightly as I could, I tried to listen as she explained she had met me once at the Columbus, Ohio temple, and that I knew her husband.

Though I had to have her repeat herself a few times, I began to remember that her husband was born and raised in Mexico, and it was likely that she had been, too.

She was working in the local Family History Center, and a gentleman had come in that she was unable to help.  

Of course!

He had ancestors in southeast Ohio, and also had a Kentucky connection.  He wasn't sure what other sources could help him, so he needed some direction.  I told him to send me an email with what he has found so far, and what he is looking for.

Now, why is this important?

1.  I almost didn't answer the phone, thinking it was someone I didn't want to talk to.

2.  When I did, I had to work hard to understand.

3.  This wonderful lady of Hispanic descent was willing to spend her time in a Family History Center, where it is likely she wouldn't be able to help someone with Appalachian research questions.

4.  The man was patient enough with her limited knowledge and didn't walk out thinking no one could help him.

5.  I could possibly have a new relative, since he's looking in the area where most of my people are from!

I told the FHC worker to call me anytime she needed some help.  She may not have been the most talented researcher in her area, but she's willing to try.

I applaud her.

And, I actually applaud my own self for picking up the phone!

And Yet, Another Reason for Family History Centers!

Can you tell I love Family History Centers?

A few days ago, I wrote a blogpost about the ongoing need for Family History Center.

You may read it here.

Well, there is even a greater opportunity for these centers of which

Mr. Kerry and I are Co-Directors of the one here in Mansfield, Ohio.

It has its own Facebook page:

Friends of the Mansfield Ohio Family Family History Center 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has partnered with many institutions and is digitizing selected books that are housed in their collections.

Just look at all of these fine institutions that are willing to share their collections!

So, how do we use this?

Perhaps we hear that there may be a book written about our family.

Or, about an area our family lived in.

In the above case, you would want to sign in to FamilySearch.

On the top tabs, click "Search".

Then, click on "Books", wither from the drop-down menu, or the above screen.

You will again see the institutions involved, and a blank space where you may fill in 

a family name...

a geographic area...

the name of a church...

You get the idea.  

In this case, I filled in the name "Tinkling Spring"

Tinkling Spring is the name of a Presbyterian Church 

established in 1740 in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Many of my people lived in the surrounding area.

There is a website for it here.

The first two are the ones I am interested in. 

I clicked on the first one, which included "Cemetery Records".

I love cemeteries!

And, this old book tells me all about the people buried in the graveyard next to the church.

Could it get any better than that?

Well...

yes, and no.

The second book was about Reverend John Craig, who established the church in 1740.

That's right...1740!

When I clicked on the link to that book, this is the message that came up.

Excuse me?

I do not have sufficient rights?

But read it carefully.

It says that it must be viewed at... 

The Family History Library.

A partner library.

Or a Family Center.

So, I simply went to the Family History Center, thumb drive in hand.

I went through the process again, and it appeared right on the computer screen.

Up in the right-hand corner, you can see where you may print it or save it.

I saved portions of it to a thumb drive, and brought it home where I can read it from here.

So, we see yet another reason why Family History Centers 

located throughout the world can still serve us well.

There may be restrictions that were placed there when the initial agreements were drawn up,

or as it says in the "sufficient rights" screen,

only so many at a time can view the object.

Aren't we fortunate to have this available to us?

We Still Need Family History Centers!

We still need Family History Centers!

One of the most frequent comments I get concerning genealogy is this,

"Do we really need Family History Centers anymore?"

A resounding Yes!!!

I believe we do.  

Let me show you one of the reasons why.

Right now, I am in the middle of preparing to go to RootsTech2016.

I am taking several hundred photos to run through scanners that will quickly upload the photos to my computer.

I saw these in action last year, and I knew this would be one way to conquer the mountain of photos that are making me feel quite guilty.

This photo is from a previous post showing how I will scan them, several at a time.

But...

not everyone is going to RootsTech.

Or to the Harold B. Lee Library in Provo, where they have high-speed scanners, too.

They may not belong to a warehouse club, or have one near to them.

Or, they may not even have a scanner at home.

They may not even be able to afford a scanner.

All is not lost!

After a recent conversation with Pat Richley-Erickson, she asked if I would write a blog post about scanners that are available in most of the Family History Centers that I have seen.

This Lexmark scanner is available in our local Family History Center in Mansfield, Ohio.

It is an amazing machine that all of our computers print from.

And, patrons can scan on it, too!

And, this is a stack of photos I brought out to show how easy it is to use.

Notice that they are in a mess.

Excuse me.  You know you have one, too.

The sign-in screen shows two icons that you may tap on for your work.

Copy = making a regular copy of something that is printed off

Scan to FamilySearch = your photos, documents, etc. are scanned directly to your FamilySearch account.

That's right! 

Directly to your FamilySearch account.

You will be asked to enter your Username and Password, 

just like when you sign into FamilySearch online.

Hint:  The screen size is similar to that of a small tablet.

If you have trouble, bring a stylus with a rubber ball on the end,

or simply use a pencil eraser.

Click the one you want.

For this purpose, I clicked on "Photo".

The directions couldn't be more clear.

Wait just a few moments.

It let's you know when the scan is complete.

And, look!!

It joins all of the other photos I have scanned into my account.

Off to the left, you will see a list that I didn't take take a photo of.

It is simply a list of albums that I can drop those photos right into.

Now, this may not seem like that big of a deal when there are many different ways to scan photos and upload them to different websites.

But, it is a big deal if you don't have a scanner.

Or don't have a Big-Box store nearby.

Here is a similar article from the FamilySearch Blog:

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