Genealogy Chat

Nudge for Nikki

Hi Jeanette, I suppose this is a question in a way but letting off steam really. Does the person that checks my work have the same LDS supplied disk that I am working from or a commercially produced one like everyone else seems to have? If they have the latter then checking my work must be a real nightmare. I have again looked at images on Ancestry - which are white and readable compared to most of mine which are grey - as I could not read some of the names - well they were not making any sense as proper names. I was reading Hehher and Gonhass but they are quite clear on Ancestry images as Fletcher and Goodlass. Oh dear moan over with - would just like to do the best job that I can. Maureen

Maureen I was told there is a program you can download to help sharpen images - haven't needed it myself yet though. I'll try and look out what it was called. Found it: 'If you have any trouble viewing the .jpg files, a lot of the transcribers use a feee software called Irfanview. It can me downloaded free from www.irfanview(.)com and makes reading the images a lot easier. It also allows you to 'sharpen' the image to assist with some of those hard-to-read cases.' Anna

Anna, Thanks for the reply. I am already using Irfanview but does not really make the images as sharp as on Ancestry. Might try downloading it again and perhaps choose some more of the options to see if that make any difference. Maureen

Hi Maureen Just seen your question. To be honest I don't really know which disc the checker has. If it's becoming a real problem drop Carol a line. She might have a suggestion or may be able to change your disc. Good Luck Jeanette x

Hi Jeanette, It is just so annoying when the images are so clear on Ancestry. If mine where anything like as good, or somewhere in between, I could make a better job of the transcribing and not have to mark so many as queries. Must drive the checker mad. Thanks, Maureen

Hi Jeanette, Can I take you back to the subject of 'Quality of Image of Census Page' I dabble in Digital Photography and know for a fact that it is possible to both 'Sharpen' and get rid of the background darkness of any Photographic Image and the Census sheets, as we have them, are just Photographic Images presented to us in PDF format. Whenever I try to use one of my Photo Manipulation Programs (and I have tried THREE) I am asked for a PDF Security Password and am told that 'The file has certain restricted features. Please enter Permission Password to remove these restrictions' DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS PASSWORD IS? and can it be made available to us ? WALTER

That's a very good question Walter and I'll be honest and say I really don't know! I have had my digital camera 6 months now and haven't worked out how to use that yet, never mind how to tweek any of the images! As you can tell I'm not very good with technology! lol But I will ask around for you. Anything that can help enhance the images has got to be a bonus Jeanette x

Hi All Gental Nudge Vikki xx

Hi Vikki How's it going? I've been away so haven't done much recently. I'll have to get knuckled down to some! Jeanette x

Hi Jeanette Im good thank you, hope you are too.... Have nearly finished my first CD, though havent done any of it for the last 2 months or so as I have changed jobs and been so busy!!! Off work on Wednesday so am going to finish it then - just a few pages left to do. I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed doing the FreeCen Transcribing. Its really interesting wondering why people were living with 'such and such' and 'wonder if she really was a housekeeper' that type of thing! Mind you Terry did give me a relatively easy ish one as it was my first. I know they wont all be so clear. A note to all the new volunteers - once you start you cant stop (unless you HAVE to stop) lol. Very worth while and makes me feel like I have acheived something - even if only a little part, it is a lot when its added together. After all there would be very little Genealogy if there were no volunteers, so get stuck in and good luck. Vikki xx

Vikki, I have to agree with you that once you start it is a job to stop. I wonder how someone from Glasgow ended up in a small village in East Yorkshire or how someone earned a living gathering stones from the beach or why did a woman of 30 marry a man well into his 70's - was it for the money LOL Maureen

Hi Maureen Yes it does make you wonder doesn't it? Then again, I doubt its any different nowadays - in fact its probably alot worse than back then! I think it will be harder to trace rellies for the future generations, unless we record as much info as possible for our own families, due to the amount of people travelling nowadays and moving to other countries. Still, will make interesting research etc for the future. Vikki xx

Jeanette Just a quick query. I have got marked on one census Parish of 'Blah Blah' but also marked is a Hamlet name whereas before they have all been crossed through. Do I ignore it as there is no where for it to go? Cheers Anna

Hi Anna Sorry I haven't got back to you sooner. I've been doing some transcribing would you beleive! lol I haven't come across that before. But I must say, if it was me doing a search, I would want to know that they were in a separate hamlet. Wouldn't you? How about in column G, the address column, if you put something like High Street, Hamlet If you get my drift! lol. You could then put an x in column H and a note in column Y. What do you think? Jeanette x

Thanks Jeanette I'll lump it in with column G then. Cheers Anna

What a coincidence Anna. On my very next ED I have the same thing! lol

Nudging!

Message for Carol. Sorry I have not replied earlier as I have been out all day. The disk I am working from is not a commercially produced disk but supplied by LDS - so there are a number of differences to the ones that the majority of transcribers are working from. Firstly it opened in Internet Explorer which was a problem. I had to download a program from Irfanview which allowed me to view the images. After the download, which does not take long, just insert disk and then click on the Irfanview icon. Click on File and then Open. You might have to use the 'look In' part to select the drive your CD works in before it will open. I have now experimented with the Irfanview program and can now zoom in and out on the image and can also improve the brightness which I could not do when it opened in Internet Explorer. I can now do the transcribers off line. Secondly my disk does not have an index the same as the other disks. I have a spreadsheet set up to log the images numbers and record the ED, Folio and Page numbers on. My images are numbered for example: 4015980-00022. So the spreadsheet is useful to know which image I have viewed and transcribed. Any problems then please do send me a message. Unfortunately will not be on line much in the next couple of days as my Mother is visiting. Maureen

Hi all, I have just started on my first CD! And after re-reading all the files from FREECEN and all of the replies to this board I think I have totally confused myself!!! lol I have a name in my family bible and one in the very first parge to transcribe (typical) letter by letter it looks like TAMER she was deff a dau in image but doesn't state in bible. Has anyone any ideas on this name? Was it a name!!! Or am I wrong with the letters? I once saw a webpage with the letters as wrote then to what they are really, but can't remember which site. Ideas? Bad for wanting to transcribe but just to dble check!! PS hope my checker may forgive me!! also do I send Carol a sample of what I am doing to make sure I am doing it right!! don't all laugh at my queries please I probably don't sound half as thick as i am!!! Judith