In this edition I'll be commenting on several articles. As is most often the case in the COG, the articles will be presented in the order I received them. The articles I've selected to comment on were chosen not because they are "better" than the rest but because there's something about them I want to call your attention to. Maybe they were especially well researched, maybe they made me laugh, maybe they are a good example of story-telling, maybe they taught me something I didn't already know, etc. Just think of it as me pointing out some of the various rides offered at a carnival ;-)
The featured article, which appears at the end of the COG, is one that stands out from the crowd. It's a shining example of putting all the ingredients together and coming up with a 5 course dinner. It covers the topic thoroughly, in an engaging way, and leaves you fully satisfied at the end.
Enough of all that now. Winter's wrath is upon us and we must fortify ourselves against the cold. So pour yourself a glass of wine, perhaps a good red, and put your feet up. Start a fire in the fireplace, relax, and appreciate all the many volunteer efforts our participants have to share with you. The carnival is back in town!
Wendy starts us off with Helping Hands posted at All My Branches Genealogy. "Researching
the many volunteer activities and the organizations my family members have been involved in, has led me to the conclusion that they were very giving people and have passed on this sense of helping others. I have spent a good number of years wondering if “no” is part of my vocabulary."Amanda presents Volunteerism in the Genealogical World posted at A Tale of Two Ancestors, saying, "By volunteering through RAOGK and indexing records, Amanda has increased her research skills, learned about new record groups and found a new career."
Thomas MacEntee presents No One Should Go Unclaimed posted at Destination: Austin Family, saying, "For the 88th Edition on Volunteerism. I've decided to highlight the work of Unclaimed Persons and discuss how it pertains to genealogy." Thomas shares his insights in working with the Unclaimed Persons group as only Thomas can, personally and with feeling. In Thomas' article you learn not just what he thinks about the mission of the group but also how he feels about volunteering his time for it. Thanks for all you do, Thomas!
J.M. presents Part 1: Adolph Knura In Memoriam, Part 2: Adolph Knura In Memoriam, and Part 3: Adolph Knura in Memoriam, posted at Tracing My Roots, saying, "My entry for the COG edition about volunteerism is not about the volunteer work I do, but about the volunteer work of my grandfather and what that means for my genealogy research. I hope it tells you how volunteering ancestors leave traces that you can find!" J.M. brings up and details an excellent point in her three-part article. Reading about the volunteer efforts of our ancestors in newspaper articles can give great insight into their personal values, talents, and how much they were appreciated by their community. Thanks for showing us a great example of how it's done J.M.!
Tina Lyons presents Volunteerism: My Vevay Newspaper Index Project posted at Tina's Genealogical Wish List. Tina's volunteer project is one of her own design, born of necessity. She saw a need and took on the job of filling that need with an indexing project all her own. What initiative and what dedication! Check out Tina's article and read about the project she's undertaken. You'll be inspired. Thanks Tina!
Frances Ellsworth presents My Favorite Volunteer Project.... Family Search Indexing posted at Branching Out Through The Years. "Family Search Indexing is absolutely the greatest project in my way of thinking, nothing opinionated here. I love helping others find their ancestors, especially those that are hard to find."
Charles Hansen presents Volunteering at the Library for COG #88 posted at Mikkel's Hus, saying, "Hard to believe I have been volunteering at the library for 17 years, just seems like a few years ago I started there."
Jasia presents A Gift of My Time Freely Given posted at Creative Gene. I've been volunteering for genealogy related projects for several years now. I've used my skills as a web designer to create web sites for historic churches and a genealogical society too. Volunteering has been very rewarding for me!
John Newmark presents Volunteerism posted at Transylvanian Dutch, saying, "Volunteerism - it runs in my family. I discuss my family history of volunteerism, and my brief stint as a volunteer for RAOGK." John's article gave me a good chuckle. While volunteering runs in his family, he's blazed new trails and gone where no man (in his family) has gone before. Check out his article and prepare to be surprised when you discover where some of his volunteer efforts have gone. Thanks for showing us a different type of volunteer organization, John!
Sheri Fenley presents Volunteerism or What I Do With My Free Time posted at The Educated Genealogist. "Working with different types of records, either transcribing or extracting, has enriched my genealogical education unlike any classroom ever could. It is ALWAYS a "win-win" situation when you become a volunteer." Sheri takes us around the country with her volunteer efforts. This girl gets around! If you're transportation-challenged and think that you can't be a genealogy volunteer, THINK AGAIN! Sheri shows us how it's done. Thanks Sheri!
Judith Richards Shubert presents A Volunteer Historian posted at Genealogy Traces, saying, "My charge as volunteer Historian was to organize and protect the large amount of memorabilia that has already been donated to the 50 Year Club over the years. I follow after other dedicated and competent Historians that served their fellow graduates well." Judith is working to preserve a segment of personal and academic history for the students who attended Mineral Wells High School over the years. How fortunate those alumni are to have her keeping and maintaining the items that represent their teenage years! Go Rams!
Missy Corley presents Carnival of Genealogy: Volunteerism posted at Bayside Blog. This article surprised me! Why? Because Missy wrote about a great internet resource for genealogists that I'd never heard of. I love to find out about new resources! Missy volunteers regularly at the Internet Public Library. Not familiar with it? Check out her article to find out more! Thanks for sharing a great resource with us Missy and thanks for all your volunteer efforts!
Tonia Kendrick presents Help Others, Help Yourself posted at Tonia's Roots, saying, "My first FamilySearch indexing experience was serendipitous on three counts. . ."
Carol presents 88th Carnival of Genealogy, Volunteerism posted at Reflections From the Fence, saying, "A subject very close to my heart. But because I felt a tad uncomfy writing just about me, I wrote a second post, titled, Volunteerism, The Rest of The Challenge. Thanks to Jasia for the opportunity to chat about something I am rather passionate about." Thank you Carol for sharing with us! Carol has written a nice article about her own volunteer experiences including a picture of her teaching genealogy at a campground of all places. Then she went on to write a wonderful plea to others to get involved with volunteering. Wonderful articles Carol. I sure hope people take you up on your suggestions for getting involved!
Sheri Bush presents Volunteerism: Look to Your Local GenWeb posted at TwigTalk, saying, "When you think about volunteering, think GenWeb! Read about what is involved and how much fun it is to volunteer or just submit data to your GenWeb!" If you're like me and you've wondered about all the work that goes into a county GenWeb site this article is for you! Sheri tells of how she started, how she's progressed, and encourages others to get involved. She's very committed to her county GenWeb site and has grown it from 50 pages to 2500 pages! We should all be so lucky as to have that much information available for free in the counties we're researching!!! Thanks for all that work Sheri!
Kathryn Doyle presents Volunteerism: One Day in the Life posted at California Genealogical Society and Genealogy Blog, saying "Several meetings and twenty-one volunteers make for a lot of hours in just one day." Kathryn takes us inside the day to day operations of the California Genealogical Society in words and pictures. She names names generously giving credit to those who are the working foundation of the organization. What a wonderful bunch of dedicated volunteers... especially Kathryn! I really like the way this article was presented and I think you will too. It's got me wishing I could be there to join in!
~*~*~*Feature Article *~*~*~
Sherry Stocking Kline presents Volunteering - Carnival of Genealogy posted at Family Tree Writer. Sherry's blog wasn't on my radar screen (or in my feed reader) until I read the article she submitted for the Carnival of Genealogy. She engaged me right from the start with her enthusiasm. This article is well written and a pleasure to read. Not only does she share her volunteer work at the Sumner County (Kansas) Genealogical and Historical Society with us but she shares new ideas for other genealogical societies to consider too. So it's educational as well as interesting. She puts a good face on her society, her responsibilities, and herself. I was only slightly surprised, when I read her bio looking for a picture to use here, to learn that she is a professional writer. It's easy to see why. The article covers the topic thoroughly and makes her volunteer position sound easy (we know that's not always the case Sherry ;-). The article is engaging, polished, and a great entry for the Carnival of Genealogy. Please join me in congratulating Sherry for being the Featured Author for this 88th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy!
That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. I hope you enjoyed reading about all the terrific volunteer efforts being made throughout our genealogical community. We all richly deserve a pat on the back for our efforts!
And now it's time for a Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy will be: Ode to My Family's History! This time around we'll be composing a poem that tells our family's history. It can be long or short, rhyme or not rhyme, funny or serious, illustrated or not... you choose, but make it appropriate as an introduction for a book or video on your family history. The challenge is on! The deadline for submissions is February 1st, 30 submissions accepted.
Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Thanks for the poster, fM!
Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Thanks for the poster, fM!
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