52 Weeks To Better Genealogy - Challenge #44 - Giving Back

The challenge Week 44: Research ways to give back to the genealogy community. The challenge is to examine some different ways genealogists can donate time and effort in kind. Find-a-Grave (http://www.findagrave.com/), Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness (http://www.raogk.org/), FamilySearch Indexing (http://www.familysearch.org/eng/indexing/frameset_indexing.asp), the World Archives Project (http://landing.ancestry.com/wap/learnmore.aspx), Unclaimed Persons (http://www.unclaimedpersons.org/) and the USGenWeb project (http://www.usgenweb.org/) are all dependent on volunteer effort.  


I have worked worked with  Unclaimed persons, Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness and Record A Grave organized by Jon Anderson.  John posts cemetery transcriptions that we volunteers transcribe to  ancestry.com, findagrave.com, and interment.net.  I really enjoy working with him. 


I have volunteered for RAOGK, however I have a sour taste in my mouth from one requester.  I searched the major newspapers and historical society for a obit for a lady.  I emailed her back to tell her I am still looking and to advise her that so far I had not located anything. She wrote back and accused me wanting money to release the orbit.  I have not responded to her email, obviously she is not quite right in the head.  Other than that incident I have enjoyed "spreading the genealogy love".   Just think of all the records we could make available by each of us volunteering a few hours a week! 


Thanks to Amy Coffin of We Tree (http://wetree.blogspot.com/) for this topic!  Love ya Amy!