Thursday's Treasures on USGENWEB

Today, yes today I went to a meeting to help plan our seminar coming April 24th. I missed Gary immensely but the meeting went smooth and lots was accomplished. Everyone voiced that we were really moving along in the right direction and accomplishing the projects that needed done.

Reason I missed Gary is he is a fellow and men think different when events are planned and that masculine thought is so good to hear. He is like the rudder that steers the boat. :>)

But as we were talking about the topics to put in the Announcement Packet,there was some interesting tidbits that surfaced.

Totally forgetting that many of our members are much younger than I and research has been more current starting for them, I expressed the need to mention non paid sites for our beginners to use that show what is available with out funds. Three at the meeting were astounded to learn that USGENWEB.ORG had what it does on most all of it's sites. Some had not even heard of this genealogy group.

To me usgenweb.org is the master of the events. The site provides for each county in each state, either in the archives or current. It has taken a terrible hit in the last ten years with many people running to paid sites expecting to learn all that there is to know.

Good old Kentucky Gen Web started it all. HURRAY yet again for them way back then.
Bravo to all the usgenweb.org users and workers of today. Alas, many county sites have fallen in neglect others are expanding but you can go to the archives for that group and garner so much information.

The people, you and I created this sites by volunteering to put up information for
all to share. So many were replicating research and paying for the same data over and over that some how those that are no longer with us were able to see the way to the future. Jeff, Thanks for all you did may God Bless you for your endeavors.

These sites are up today because people like you and I volunteered to add data or send data to be added to the sites. Information is shared not hidden and then it moves
everyone forward a bit. If you had a Will you could copy and send to site so someone else would not have to pay for it. If you had Bible records they could be placed on line for others to see.

So I thought I should remind people that the backbone of much of what we have today is because of what the Kentucky Gen Web created and the rest followed making it the
usgenweb.org sites of today.

It is by far my first site I go to for information and many times it is the last one I need to go to. The volunteers for queries, surname files, books people offer to do
look ups in, where the court records are and can be reached, land records, Wills, Probates, school and tax lists and the list goes on. Random Acts of Genealogy Kindness came from those who volunteered steady and work within this system also.

So today's treasure for me is to share with all the new people out there that you
do not have to start with a paid site but a non paying site may just do the trick.

I guess I should also share it with all the other users that have forgotten it is there and say go back and see if the answer you seek is not hidden within the pages of the usgenweb.org site.

Tonight I am going to give a link of one site that shows what a site can have on it.
There are many that are filled like this. If the one you seek is skimpy maybe you can help them to be more full especially if it is an area of your research.

I just spent an hour reading through the Virginia State usgenweb.org site of Lunenburg County.

http://www.vagenweb.org/lunenburg/index.htm

The site also shows the rootslist for that county for you to join to help in your research.