DEVON-L Archives

Archiver > DEVON > 2003-08 > 1060385319


From: R&S leetooze <>
Subject: Fwd: Re: Fwd: [DEV] OPC scheme
Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2003 19:33:32 -0700


>To:
>From: R&S leetooze <>
>Subject: Re: Fwd: [DEV] OPC scheme
>
>Hello Listers:
>I have a funny feeling that Alan might want to have a sample list which
>might include the contents of "the parish chest" for example. What
>exactly was in the average "parish chest"? Are any of these contents
>available to OPC's (in either Devon or Cornwall - especially Devon, seeing
>as we are on that list!) for transcription?
>We see very little of the "out of the ordinary stuff" on the lists for
>look-up. Surely, with some of the UK volunteers being so close to county
>record offices it would be no hardship to photocopy some records at a few
>pence each and transcribe them for their sites. At least, this is the way
>we see things from afar. Those of us in Canada or Australia are so far
>from these resources, and so far from our roots! We get to a point in our
>research when BMD are no longer enough.
>I transcribe for various groups over here in Canada and have precious
>little time for my own research as it is, so I can not volunteer to
>transcribe the contents of a parish chest, much as I would like
>to. Perhaps some day, but not now. But I still need the info from places
>and documents like that.
>Is there a chance this sort of document will ever become available for
>research over the internet?
>Sher at Ontario.
>
>
>t 11:49 PM 8/7/03 +0100, you wrote:
>>Hello Brian
>>
>>I'm not sure that my point has been taken by anyone. It was Paul Brewer,
>>OPC co-ordinator for Cornwall, who said "most people have very little
>>knowledge of the large amount of info about people in documents relating
>>to a parish" (my underlining). I do not disagree with his assertion,
>>quite simply because I do not feel I am in a position to do so.
>>
>>I simply asked what is that "large amount of info about people in
>>documents relating to a parish"? Talking around a subject in that way
>>does not, I suggest, inform anyone. There are probably those who think
>>they know what Paul is talking about, but how can they be sure? My
>>position has already been stated: I simply do not know. Surely it can't
>>be (for example) the parish registers to which he refers, because Paul
>>also said (in connection with that "large amount of info . . ." etc)
>>"much of which would provide firm evidence to uncertain records extracted
>>from the Chr, Mar & Bur registers". It can't be the IGI, because that
>>does not relate to "a parish". So how does that "large amount of info"
>>manifest itself? Exactly what are these documents relating to a parish?
>>In short, is there something I have missed?
>>
>>These are merely questions, not criticisms implied or otherwise of the
>>excellent Devon OPCs . As Bernie Breslaw used to say: "I only arsked!"
>>
>>Best wishes,
>>Alan England.
>>___________________________________________________
>>
>>At 14:04 06/08/03 +0100, you wrote:
>>>Hi Alan:
>>>
>>>>Yes, and equally not wishing to be controversial, may I intrude upon
>>>>this exchange of history and observe that the allusion to "the large
>>>>amount of info about people in documents relating to a parish" does
>>>>nothing to increase the little knowledge most of us have. In fact, I
>>>>don't even know what you are talking about, never mind discover it! So,
>>>>to make yet more capital out of what is truly a marvellous scheme (the
>>>>envy of many other Lists!!), perhaps this aspect might be given more
>>>>attention? This is to ask: how can Listers be helped to help themselves
>>>>more? I admit that the beam may well be in my eye!
>>>
>>>A number of the Devon OPCs have set up their own web-sites in order to
>>>use them to make information that they are collecting available - and
>>>the Devon scheme is set up to try and ensure that any major information
>>>resources that the OPCs obtain or produce in electronic form are also
>>>held in GENUKI/Devon, linked to from the corresponding parish page. A
>>>considerable number of indexes and transcriptions have been added to
>>>GENUKI/Devon as a result.
>>>
>>>The actual types of information vary, and are presented in GENUKI under
>>>a standard set of topic headings - such as Church Records, Census,
>>>Cemeteries, Directories, History, etc. GENUKI is very much intended not
>>>just to help people trace their ancestors by providing genealogical data
>>>and information about what other relevant genealogy-related information
>>>exists where, but also to "put flesh on their ancestors' bones" so to
>>>speak, by providing information that will help them to learn about the
>>>places where they lived, what else was happening at the time, etc.
>>>
>>>As regards your question of "how can Listers be helped to help
>>>themselves more?" one of the main tactics that I and a few others use is
>>>that of trying to answer a more general question than that which was
>>>asked - e.g. if someone asks is there an OPC for XXXXXX, we reply with
>>>information about the whole set of OPCs, so they can look this and any
>>>other OPC up for themself. (It would be helpful if more people answered
>>>such queries by following this practice.) Another is the provision of
>>>the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) list at
>>>http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/DEV/DevonFAQ.html
>>>
>>>But I really have no solution for the large number of listers who
>>>apparently completely ignore the sentence given at the end of every
>>>posting "The DEVON-L mailing list is co-sponsored by GENUKI/Devon (
>>>http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/DEV/ ) and the Devon FHS (
>>>http://www.devonfhs.org.uk/ )" and who never think to investigate the
>>>links that it contains.
>>>
>>>I don't know if this answers your question adequately - I would welcome
>>>any further suggestions you have.
>>>
>>>cheers
>>>
>>>Brian Randell
>>>
>>>
>>>--
>>>School of Computing Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne,
>>>NE1 7RU, UK
>>>EMAIL = PHONE = +44 191 222 7923
>>>FAX = +44 191 222 8232 URL = http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/~brian.randell/
>>
>>
>>==== DEVON Mailing List ====
>>The DEVON-L mailing list is co-sponsored by GENUKI/Devon
>>( http://www.cs.ncl.ac.uk/genuki/DEV/ ) and
>>the Devon FHS ( http://www.devonfhs.org.uk/ )



This thread: