How do flash drive microfilm machines work?

[Squigy]

Oh..I wanted to ask you this, Squigy. In one of your posts up there, you mentioned that in some emailing, they said they would be getting Caserta records soon. I didnt see any email like that, but, I delete a lot of things without reading them..lol

Have you come across anyplace on ancestry that has such a list..like, a "coming soon" area? I would love to see what they have in the works.

What they are putting out there now, has not been indexed by the volunteers. They have the original indexes (out of the books) and you can choose to search those..which give you the cert number. You then go into the drop down and choose the actual records and look for the cert number. (Actually, when I started, I skipped the indexes and went page by page). Using the indexes first, saves a lot of time. You can always go page by page, later.

These Italian records should be out there in no time. Its not like they have to wait months and months for people to index them.

Actually, ancestry WAS and is, still making volunteers index some italian towns. Those are coming on in dribs and drabs.

What I think happened is..they began with having indexes made..but it was taking too long. I volunteered for them almost 3 years ago..and they still havent finished the records for the 2 places they had back then. Like I said, someone must have clued them in..that they didnt need these typed indexes.

Anyway..if they said "soon" I would say a matter of months, certainly not years.

I think they were asking users on surveys recently if they would like the records to be available before indexing. That might have something to do with it.

I can't seem to find anything else about them getting Caserta records anywhere except that one email (Ancestry Monthly, October). It was a list of all the new records available for Deluxe members, and on the side it said:

Coming Soon:
• France Phone
Directory 1907
• Caserta, Campania, Italy, Civil Registrations

So, who knows. That would really be fantastic. It is so much easier to work from home, but like I said, that isn't possible at the moment.

[oilman19]

I have never subscribed to Ancestry because my concentration has been primarily in 1 town in Italy. As yet, I'm not aware they have put my town on their site.

If they do, I will be the 1st to sign on for a subscription. For what I pay for films and the inconvenience of trying to accommodate the volunteer hours at the FHC, there would be no comparison. Like you said, I could research in my underwear (not pretty).

You have gotten my attention about Caserta, Campania because that is where S.M.C.V. is located. I hope someone will be kind enough to let me know if this happens.

In the meantime, I will continue to rent and scan my records at the FHC until a better option appears.

In addition, I am hoping to retire and become a winter snow bird in FL. Currently, that would negate my ability to access all of the films I have on permanent loan at the FHC. That is a scary thought for someone like me who has become so addicted to this project. This news could be the solution to that problem also.

Here's hoping!

[Squigy]

I have never subscribed to Ancestry because my concentration has been primarily in 1 town in Italy. As yet, I'm not aware they have put my town on their site.

If they do, I will be the 1st to sign on for a subscription. For what I pay for films and the inconvenience of trying to accommodate the volunteer hours at the FHC, there would be no comparison. Like you said, I could research in my underwear (not pretty).

You have gotten my attention about Caserta, Campania because that is where S.M.C.V. is located. I hope someone will be kind enough to let me know if this happens.

In the meantime, I will continue to rent and scan my records at the FHC until a better option appears.

In addition, I am hoping to retire and become a winter snow bird in FL. Currently, that would negate my ability to access all of the films I have on permanent loan at the FHC. That is a scary thought for someone like me who has become so addicted to this project. This news could be the solution to that problem also.

Here's hoping!

I'll let you know if I find out anything else. That would be great for me as well, but I would really love to see Ancestry.com add Campobasso province records to their website.

[oilman19]

Thank you

That would be greatly appreciated.

[johnnyonthespot]

... I couldnt figure out why both the FHL and ancestry were bothering with this indexing (thinking..I will be dead 50 years before they get anything I might need). I am glad they woke up.

I agree completely.

As it stands now, I rent a film which has, in most cases, multiple record types (birth, marriage, death, and others), often with more then one town per reel. I load the film into a viewer and go as fast as I can while scanning for the section I want, then slow down until I can locate the exact year I am seeking, then start looking for the index page(s). You know the drill; if a name I am seeking appears in the index, I make a note of it and then roll the film backwards to find the exact record.

Okay, so that is the way I do things now.

Sure, it would be great to have all of these film images available online, all neatly indexed so that I can do a quick search and then instantly bring up any single document image.

But, it would be very nearly as great if I could just "load the film" exactly as it exists today and scan through the images exactly as I do today. I don't need the electronic indexes, and to the extent that the indexing process is adding years to the time frame in which my towns will be available online, I say forget about the indexing and just post the darned films as they are.

Sheesh! Isn't this self-evident?

[timo]

At the local FHC, the microfilm readers project the image down onto a slanted surface, sort of like an architect's drawing table. If you want to photograph a section of the projected image, e.g. for a single birth act, you have to position it so it's displayed as close to the front of the machine as possible, and you have to stand back and away to take the shot so your hand and arm and the camera do not cast a shadow on the image. I took a couple of quick snapshots with my cell phone that are not too bad, so someone with patience, a manually focused lens with a good depth-of-field, and a tripod or monopod could probably get fairly good results.

[Eleven]

That isnt too bad. You can read it, at least.

They should make a sticky thread for ancestry records. I posted the entire list of what they have for Italy on the gente forum, but, it was in someones thread asking about ancestry records. It would be nice to have all ancestry info in one place where people could keep checking as others keep posting.

Back to searching in your underwear.

In 1992 it took me a year to do my father in laws town and another year to do my fathers. The ancestry records I am using now are for my fathers town. When I did his town..they had 1865 back. A relative gave me the info I needed to be able to use those records so anything that was given by her..had no document backup. They do now, tho..lol

Anyway, I went twice a week..thru summer heat and winter snow..many times, taking the 40 minute ride only to find them closed. Finally, one of the volunteers gave me her home phone number so I could call if the weather was bad, to check and see if they would be opened.

I already described my ritual. I was so lucky, lucky, lucky to be able to use that reader/copier or it would have taken me twice as long. And even more lucky that it took them 2 years to get one regular reader lens and by that time, I was finished.

I say finished, but not really. I only took the direct line back..grandparents, gr grandparents on back and any children I could find. I didnt go beyond that, because it would have taken too long.

God Bless Ancestry. Thats all I can say. In 8 hours I got what it would have taken me 8 weeks to get..and in those 8 hours, I was going page by page thru the records..I hadnt bothered yet to look at the indexes and discover how much faster that would have been. And..I did 8 straight hours, the first day I got the acct. LOL We all know, that when we go to the FHL sometimes you had to pack up and leave just when you got going.

I cant say enough about having these records online and for how crisp and clear these copies are. I dont need a magnifying glass..I dont get eyestrain, its a pleasure...especially because I am not fluent in Italian, so I have to deal with that..and having clear copies makes that so much easier for me.

I have 3 more towns I would like to see come online. But, my hopes are dim for 2 of them..since even the FHL has no records for this time period (1866-1910). But they do have them for the other, which is my father in laws town..which I already did..but, I would be happy to do more.

I have my fingers crossed for you guys...and hope they get your towns on here soon. I have a good feeling they will..especially if the FHL has your town for the 1866-1910 period. It seems to me..in what I looked at..that if the FHL has them, then ancestry will.

[Squigy]

Thank you

That would be greatly appreciated.

Jim,

I found out a little more about Ancestry.com's Caserta records. Here is what it said about them in their monthly update:

• More Italian Registrations

Add Agrigento, Sicily; Caserta, Campania; and Modena, Emilia-Romagna to the list of Italian civil registrations available to World Deluxe subscribers of Ancestry.com. Collections make their debut beginning this month on Ancestry.com


I'm really excited about this! I'm not sure if they're going to add them right away, or if they'll be in the World Archives Project for keying. I think they just added Potenza records, without keying them, so I'm crossing my fingers that they'll do the same with Caserta.

[Eleven]

Potenza records have been there, not sure when they were added, maybe during the summer.

I just dropped my acct there until they get something else that I need. I have 4 days left.

[Squigy]

Potenza records have been there, not sure when they were added, maybe during the summer.

I just dropped my acct there until they get something else that I need. I have 4 days left.

Oh, I know they've been there for a little while. What I meant by "just added" was that they didn't put them in the World Archives Project.

I think they added them in June.

[oilman19]

Do you think that will be the whole province of Caserta?

[Squigy]

Do you think that will be the whole province of Caserta?

I imagine so. We won't know until they actually release them.

[oilman19]

I am so hopeful.

[lilbees]

I was going through the last message released by Family Search. Much to my amazement I found that they have posted images of some German records that I had been writing to Germany about. As with Italian I have had to find English/German listings in order to learn how to read their records and become familiar with the terminilogy used in those records. The going is slow but will be well worth it. Found 1 record that I have been needing but can only read the name and now the date so hopefully my progress will get faster.

Also, when I went through the listing I discovered they are posting images only for other countries as well. Maybe someone listened

lilbees

[Squigy]

I was going through the last message released by Family Search. Much to my amazement I found that they have posted images of some German records that I had been writing to Germany about. As with Italian I have had to find English/German listings in order to learn how to read their records and become familiar with the terminilogy used in those records. The going is slow but will be well worth it. Found 1 record that I have been needing but can only read the name and now the date so hopefully my progress will get faster.

Also, when I went through the listing I discovered they are posting images only for other countries as well. Maybe someone listened

lilbees

I know they have a lot of indexes for German records. With them, I traced one line back the the 1700's. Of course, they don't have images or sources, so it has to be taken with a grain of salt.