One word for it....
FUN
Honestly, how can it be so much fun torturing yourself over old documents, trying to decipher them?
If you want to learn how to do indexing, let the cottage know. They can compile a list and when we have a group of about 5 we can have another session. It is a super great way to help more free, open access, records get online.
We had about 17 people at the cottage last night, labouring over Tasmanian burial records, American census documents (woah they were hard), some sort of spanish birth certificate thing that was in the beginner basket, but was quickly returned and nicely typed school records.
One of the Tasmanian birth certificates I was indexing caught my eye. It was for a "Walter Ennyson Bates" died in Hobart, 1905. I wondered what kind of name "Ennyson" was so I googled his whole name. Google asked me if I meant "Walter Tennyson Bates" - and after a closer look I realised I did mean that.
He was a very interesting man, a merchant and a musician - a cornet player and a conductor. His mother was a descendent of Tennyson, the great poet. He had a long illness and travelled back to England to try and find a cure, before return to Hobart to die at home.
So there you go. I don't think I added much to the information that is already out there about him, his life is well documented, but I'm glad I took the time to find out how to spell his name properly anyway.
Kate #657
FUN
Honestly, how can it be so much fun torturing yourself over old documents, trying to decipher them?
If you want to learn how to do indexing, let the cottage know. They can compile a list and when we have a group of about 5 we can have another session. It is a super great way to help more free, open access, records get online.
We had about 17 people at the cottage last night, labouring over Tasmanian burial records, American census documents (woah they were hard), some sort of spanish birth certificate thing that was in the beginner basket, but was quickly returned and nicely typed school records.
One of the Tasmanian birth certificates I was indexing caught my eye. It was for a "Walter Ennyson Bates" died in Hobart, 1905. I wondered what kind of name "Ennyson" was so I googled his whole name. Google asked me if I meant "Walter Tennyson Bates" - and after a closer look I realised I did mean that.
He was a very interesting man, a merchant and a musician - a cornet player and a conductor. His mother was a descendent of Tennyson, the great poet. He had a long illness and travelled back to England to try and find a cure, before return to Hobart to die at home.
So there you go. I don't think I added much to the information that is already out there about him, his life is well documented, but I'm glad I took the time to find out how to spell his name properly anyway.
Kate #657
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