That's a phrase that I keep hearing
over and over again with regard to genealogy. It's well intended and
true, but it's a bit frustrating. Here's why.
Perhaps I'm cheap or very familiar with
computers, but I don't like visiting the Family History Center. I
don't live in Utah where the Salt Lake City center has a variety of
hours and access to numerous films. I don't even live near a major
city that would be a back-up storage facility for the microfilm of
other states. To say going to the Family History Center is convenient
and relatively inexpensive is to tell a lie, from my perspective.
You see, I live in a small city in
Iowa. The hours for the Family History Center don't readily fit into
my schedule (i.e. I'd LOVE Friday hours). I have to get a babysitter
or use an evening when my hubby is home. My children are young, so
time away from them is nice I'll admit. However, there are so many
things I need to do when I'm “away” from them (i.e. grocery
shopping and errands), that it's a challenge to make time for the
Family History Center.
When I do get to the Family History
Center, I have to have ordered films from Salt Lake City. The current
rate is $5.50 a film. While that fee is reasonable for what you
receive and pales in comparison to the cost of actually going to
where the records are located, it's a challenge on a small budget.
It's pretty tough to justify (on a tight budget) spending $5.50 to
potentially locate one name on an index and need to spend
another fee to actually get to the record. As mentioned in my
previous posts, to discover what you ordered doesn't have all the
records you expected it to have is also very tough to swallow after
expending time, energy, and resources.
Now, before you're ready to shoot the
blogger, here's the contrast. With FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com, I can access documents whenever it's
convenient for me. If I'm up with a sick child in the middle of the
night, I can search for records rather than play games. If my home
schooling schedule has down time for momma, I can quickly investigate
more records. Plus, I can investigate records that might only have
one name pertaining to my family and the cost is non-existent or so
small (when considered with the other finds I made that month). In
short, I don't have to take time away from my family to research and
I don't have to justify the costs because they pale in comparison to
ordering films.
Having exhausted all the records
currently available to me online, I do have to go the next step of
ordering films to my local Family History Center. I do request the
time from the family schedule to go to the library when it is open
around here. I do enjoy the frustration and the exhilaration of
finding names knowing that microfilm was a huge leap forward to
digging in County Probate Records of some far away place.
The process over ordering film is
fairly simple, thanks to online catalog ordering, and relatively
inexpensive overall. The microfilm readers are easy to use. The
Family History Center staff is friendly and fairly knowledgeable. I
don't really mind the process. What I do mind is the comment, “Not
everything is online you know.”
My response, given the perspective that
is above, “You're right. It currently is not online. But, I can't
wait for it to be.”
Everything will never be online - there are just too many documents, etc. to digitize and make available. However, there is a lot out there, especially with FamilySearch and Ancestry, as well as many other free and subscription services. I feel like you do - I know I should visit certain repositories, but I keep having pretty good success finding material online about family members.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty exciting all the records that are coming online so rapidly. Every time I check FamilySearch there is something new. I have also had pretty good luck using Worldcat.org to find items---films or books---in faraway libraries and ordering them through inter-library loan to my local library at no cost.
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