Genealogy Forum

[MaryLynn]

In a recent message Ed L. suggested a Genealogy Forum here at RP. I think that would be a great way for family historians to tap into the restoration assistance that RP members share so readily. It would also be a place to discuss some other issues we are encountering:

Dating photos--identifying people using costume, photographers and photo style as clues; finding resources for this information

Digitizing documents for inclusion in family files whether from scanner, digital camera or downloaded from internet

Researching in distant repositories--gathering as much information as possible in a limited time

Manipulating digital images of books and microfilm--hundreds of genealogists are looking for help on this one

These are just a few issues I have encountered. I am sure there are many others.

Meanwhile, thank you to all the members of RP for an awesome website. I feel as if I have become acquainted with so many of you and I have to drop in just to catch up on everybody.

MaryLynn

[chris h]

Geneology Forum? one of the more bizarre suggestions I've heard on RP since I joined.

[Doug Nelson]

I guess I'll wait and see how much demand there is. In the meantime, this sounds a bit like http://www.deadfred.com/

[Ed_L]

Originally Posted by MaryLynn

In a recent message Ed L. suggested a Genealogy Forum here at RP.

Actually, I didn't mean that seriously. However, if it does happen, I'll be there!

But we don't need a dedicated forum to discuss things of that nature. I think the Salon forum would be the place to post, maybe with "Genealogy" to be included in the subject. Who knows? Maybe it would be a big draw!

Ed

[MaryLynn]

Hi Ed, thanks for your reply.

Are you using a digital camera to capture images of microfilm or documents that can't be put on a copy machine? Several of us are trying it and having some success but I'd like to swap ideas with other people. What tricks have you learned for getting the best possible image and then, what techniques have you used to edit your image?

I have a few tricks I've learned that I am happy to share with others.

MaryLynn

[Doug Nelson]

Feel free to start threads and invite people. If it gets popular enough I'll start a special forum and move them there. That's exactly how the Photo-Art forum started.

[Ed_L]

Hi MaryLynn,

I can't really say that I'm a seasoned genealogist. In fact, I could probably be described as pretty new to the idea.

To date, I've been fortunate enough to find a local historical society that had old newspapers with information that was a big help to me. Unlike most places of this type, they allowed me to physically handle the papers, and have copies made of whatever I found. So there was no problem there.

I did find images of quite a few census records online that interested me. When I found these, I would make the image as large as possible on the screen, then do screenshots. I made as many screenshots as necessary to get the complete page. These were then put into a new file in Photoshop, and stitched together. Typically, the end result is a file with enough pixels to make viewing very large on a monitor, and this has helped in reading difficult images. The same is true with ship manifests.

I have done quite a bit of copy work for genealogy, but it was almost always making copies of photos. Probably 95% of my copywork was been done with traditional film cameras, usually medium format.

Explain a little what you have done, what you want to do, and maybe we can put our heads together (along with others) to find answers to problems.

Ed

[MaryLynn]

Hi Doug and Ed. Thanks for this opportunity!

Ed, I started using my camera to take microfilm shots about nine months ago. My experience at our local branch of the National Archives (NARA) sold me on doing it.

There are 35 microfilm readers at NARA but only two microfilm printers. Usual practice is use one of the regular readers to find the pages you want to copy, then you have to remove the reels from that machine and take it to one of the printing machines. Don't drop the reels in the process. You may have to stand in line to use the printer. Finally, you get it reloaded, find the page, get it in focus, put your coins in the slot and hope the exposure setting will give you a good copy. If it doesn't, you may have to spend more money to get a good picture. Meanwhile, other people are waiting in line. You finish getting your picture and then remove the reels and go back to the regular reader to rewind.

Now, you take your printed copy home and want to share it with your cousin in another state, so you scan, resize, etc.

The first day I took my camera was especially busy. I eliminated the whole printer process by taking camera shots at the regular reader. I captured about two dozen images off of three rolls of film, packed up my camera and left. No muss, no fuss.

I've learned how to cut down on the "hot spot" in the center of the image which is caused by the light reflecting off the glossy surface of the reader. I'm still trying to learn how to edit out the dark areas in the corners. The fact that the microfilm has dark corners doesn't help at all. I'm sure you have found that on some of the census and passenger list pages you have found on the internet. And, of course, your elusive ancestor is right there in that dark corner!

I'm glad you are having success with your local historical group and the internet. Isn't it grand to be able to use 21st century technology to find our ancestors?

MaryLynn

[Janet Petty]

I'm into genealogy as well. In fact that is how I got started doing retouching, etc. I'd be happy to participate and learn from others in this area.

I'm lucky enough to have had access to a camera stand to take some of my ancestors pictures. That was a big help. However, most of the time I have to make do without one and have often had a fingertip or two included in the shot to prove (hahaha) that someone was holding down the book pages. How do the rest of you hold down those pages? The information I need seems to always be in the middle of the book somewhere.

Janet

[MaryLynn]

Hi Janet, glad to hear from you.

When I started doing this I looked around in my kitchen for gadgets to help me out. I have a wire bookrack that folds up and fits inside a file folder. My local Barnes and Noble sells it for $5.00. I also found the plastic gadgets that hold a tablecloth on a picnic table, package of four is $1.25. They are very helpful for holding pages and you can crop them out later. If I'm in a library, I use other books to help hold the book open.

But my best find is a camera support that is like a clamp desk lamp but a ball joint that screws into the camera. I can clamp it onto a table or the back of a chair and then swivel the camera into position. On a microfilm reader I can suspend the camera over the opening and don't have to reposition it. I only have to advance the film to my next shot. The support can be unscrewed into three parts that fit nicely into my camera bag. I found this at my local camera chain store for $20.

For shooting pictures I made a small tryptich out of foam board and I use binder clips to hold the pictures in place. You could also use the binder clips on books.

This is a new way of doing research and a new use for the technology so, in a sense, we have to use the same ingenuity our pioneering ancestors did. I love it! I look forward to learning how other people fare.

MaryLynn

[chris h]

Ed, On realising your interest in Geneology I immediately took horse to the Lords manor and consulted the local thane. An exhaustive search of the parish registers and earlier parchments proved conclusivly that you are the long lost descendant of Edward the Very Bad who fled to the New World in 902 to avoid tithes and his share of the Danegeld.
Therefore could you please remit the outstanding $108,000,000.000 75c inc interest to my personal account....

[Doug Nelson]

That would be what, about 2 pounds 8?

[chris h]

I'll take 2 1gb CF cards, a signed photograph of the traitor Washington and Arizona in full settlement!

[Ed_L]

Originally Posted by chris h

Ed, On realising your interest in Geneology I immediately took horse to the Lords manor and consulted the local thane. An exhaustive search of the parish registers and earlier parchments proved conclusivly that you are the long lost descendant of Edward the Very Bad who fled to the New World in 902 to avoid tithes and his share of the Danegeld.
Therefore could you please remit the outstanding $108,000,000.000 75c inc interest to my personal account....

Chris,

I'm certain you're trying to scam me! I have a paid in full receipt that Edward The Very Bad handed down to his ancestors. Of course there are some who would say he made it in Photoshop!!

Ed

[Ed_L]

Janet and MaryLynn,

When I was doing a lot of copy work, I made a copy stand out of pipe, and a few fittings. The bed was made out of 3/4" plywood, and the setup worked beautifully. It was pretty heavy, and not something you'd want to lug around. This could be used with polarizer lights and a filter, or without. The use of colored filters also came in handy, if there were stains on the pictures.

I also made a photo holder out of 1X2s or 1X3s and pegboard. The 1X2s were put into a rectangle, and glued and nailed together. On one side, I drilled a hole large enough for a vacuum hose to fit tightly into. One side of the frame was covered with peg board, and the other was covered with hardboard (like pegboard, but without the holes). This was especially good for pictures that had a tendency to curl, but it worked very well for others as well. The picture was put on the side with the holes, and a vacuum hose was attached to the frame. Turning on the vac created a suction, and the picture was absolutely flat for copying (be careful not to cause cracks on the photo). If the picture was smaller than the pegboard, the area surrounding the picture needed to be covered with paper, or the suction would be lost. The whole contraption could be set on the base of the copy stand, or used in any other way. I never invested in polarizer lights, so there were times I used the photo holder outdoors. By watching the direction of light, I had good results using a polarizing filter on the camera without having to buy the the filters for the lights.

I no longer have the setup, but making the photo holder is a snap. It is lightweight, and if I had a lot of pictures to copy today, I'd make another one.

MaryLynn said "I've learned how to cut down on the "hot spot" in the center of the image which is caused by the light reflecting off the glossy surface of the reader. " Where does the reflection come from??

Ed