Number 1000 (Actually 1013)

I have reached a landmark in my career as an indexer for Family Search. I have reached my 1000th name indexed. Indexing is a program where handwritten records are scanned or uploaded to the computer and someone (like ME!) re-scribes them onto a digital document, as to make the records available to the entire world!

This is a good example of what I do because you can actually read the thing

I know it kinda seems like a pretty small accomplishment, but it has taken a lot of time on my part to get to this point. I did the math on approximately how long it took me to get to this point. I usually finish one page of 15 names in 12 or so minutes. If this is true (which this is estimating pretty low because some names are rather difficult to read, making the document much more time consuming) then I have spent more than 13 hours to get to this point. I have learned and experienced some really rewarding things while on my indexing journey, and I thought I might share a few of them.


1. When identifying birthplaces of the people of England, just assume that the place ends in ex, or shire. If not, recheck the spelling.

2. When you come across a name or occupation that is flat out unreadable, do not spend more than .3 seconds looking at it. Only enough time to click Ctrl + U (unreadable) It is mostly pointless to continue staring at it, hoping the word will just magically appear to me.

Like this one for example.

 3. I have met some truly spectacular people while indexing.

• Sword maker and Gun maker neighbors (how weird is that? Okay, maybe I am the only one who thinks that it is...)
• Parents with 14+ children
• Single men with 6 "visiting" guy friends
• lots of Slaves, "Black Boys" and Servants
• More than my share of Bakers, Butlers and Candlestick makers as well as Scholars, Agricultural Laborers, Cap Makers, Seamstresses, Dressmakers, Wives, Landowners, Merchants, and Sailors.
• A widowed woman who has 8 kids plus a job as a laundress. Half of her children are in school.
• a couple who had their deaf father come to live with them
• A widowed mother with 3 kids under 5 years old.
• A 16 year old boy traveling alone to America from Canada to live with relatives. Naturally he paid his own way with his own money.
• That one guy who's identifying feature was "enormous wart on nose"
• Those sisters who traveled from Syria to America.
• 60 Year old husbands with 22 year old wives and 2 young children
• That lady who is fluent in like 8 languages including Yiddish.

      And countless others who have made me smile, laugh or cry. My very favorite things to index are the Michigan- port of Detroit Manifests 1906-1954 and the 1800 Great Britain Census records come in second.

4. Appreciate the people in the world who have decent handwriting!

5. It does not take a lot of time out of your day to help the family search efforts go so far. There is so much more work to do! Commercials are really cool to doing this part or getting to devotional early to work on some more :)

6. Old people were still people too, and they have jobs and families, and hardships and come from all over, not just names on a census or manifest record.

I admit that on MORE than one occasion I have slipped and written a year like 1923 for the date on the top of my homework assignments. I have really come to love this work and have come to a greater love of the peoples of the world. Granted I am not perfect, (right now I am standing at 88% approval rating, but I am sure that it is not up to date and that I have definitely improved over time) but I love this work and am eager for the awaited next 1000!

Happy Indexing!