I have been amazed at the number of new records that Ancestry is always in the process of posting. By participating in the World Archives Project as a keyer I get a glimpse of the records that will be posted after transcribing and a view of the ones just completed and available. It is going to be interesting to see how my searches change as I watch for some of these new records to be posted.
I hit my 1,000 record keyed in a very unusual place. Maybe not so unusual now, but even 5 years ago it would have been odd. We traveled up to Missouri to see the grandkids 2 weeks ago. The car ride is long, a good five and a half hours and can be a bit boring. I take along my laptop and my husband’s air card and usually surf the net, type on instant messaging or do a bit of family research. This time I decided that I would key records for the archive project to make the time go faster. I managed to key in 150 records with some of the travel time up, which took me over my 1,000 record mark. I let the program choose for me what records to key and it had been giving me the U.S Naturalization Indexes for Connecticut, 1851-1992. I noticed today that the records are now 100 percent complete and ready for processing. All of you with Connecticut relatives keep your eyes peeled for that one in the upcoming weeks.
Currently the program is giving me the U.S. Naturalization indexes for Pennsylvania and Maine, 1795-1955. I am wondering with this batch if I will find my grandfather’s index record, as he claimed to be a naturalized citizen and I haven’t found the paperwork yet. The New York Naturalization indexes are now being processed and I could find him in those once they are released as he had lived in both Pennsylvania and New York.
I am now at 1,186 records and counting, which is but a fraction of what the top keyers have completed. It will be interesting to see if I am on the couch for my 2,000 record or perhaps in the porch swing instead.