How about some religion and family history (genealogy) for a change --
While there are well known database-rich resources such as the Family Search site run by the Mormons in Utah – www.familysearch.org -- which houses over 2 billion (people) records– and there are blogs, wikis, mashups and other social media sites reserved for family search history and construction, the truth is when it comes to family search, it may require more use of non-digital sources (textbooks, directories, micro-fiche and micro-film) than other research projects today.
Along with the trusty telephone made to the funeral director to ask questions or learn more about Aunt Sally’s death, or a personal visit to the county probate court, one particularly good place to start is with Elizabeth Petty Bentley’s The Genealogist’s Address Book, published by Genealogical Publishing Co., 1998. Known as a “national Yellow pages” it lists by states and countries, the genealogical societies, libraries, research centers and religious organizations. It can be found at Amazon for less than $.2.00, ...
Brigham Young University (Utah) also has extensive resources including tutorials on deciphering old handwriting of English and European languages -- http://script.byu.edu// Of particular interest is the German script information as a colleague is currently translating and transcribing German letters to English written from the late 1930’s as part of my own family search history.
The world’s largest genealogical wiki is www.WeRelate.org, currently in beta. Like any wiki, users create and edit pages devoted to People, Families, Places and Sources. You can sign up for free and join in the fun.
Demographic research is of particular interest, and the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey compiled by Pew Research Center offers details on the religious composition of the United States, including religious makeup, religious beliefs and practices -- .http://religions.pewforum.org/.
The survey is based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans and includes the social and political attitudes affiliated with religious traditions in the United States. The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.
-- Richard Halpern - richard@halperninfoservices.com 508.346.3225 |