Ancestry.com, FamilySearch,
and the National Association
of Government Archive and Records Administrators (NAGARA)
announced on July 24, 2008, that Judge Bill Spicer
and the Probate Division of the Summit
County Common Pleas Court in Akron, Ohio, were awarded a
2008 Grant for the digitization of Summit County Marriage,
Birth, and Death Records. The Court’s grant was one
of only two awarded in 2008, and has an estimated
value of $150,000. This significant grant will make it possible for
Summit County to digitally preserve and provide free on-line
access to select historical documents.
The project targets
1840 to 1980 marriage records for over 550,000 individuals,
birth records prior
to 1908 for over
46,000 individuals, and death records prior to 1908 for over
22,000 individuals. A free, searchable name index linked
to the digital images of the original records will be made
available to the public through the Probate Court’s
web site www.summitohioprobate.com and the grant partners’ sites.
“As a result of
the grant, our web site, which was chosen as one of the
10 best
in the
country by
the National
College of Probate Judges, will now have the added distinction
of being a model for the state and country for accessing
historical Court records,” said Judge Spicer. “Not
only will it improve access, but by reducing the need to
see the often-fragile originals, it will make the Court’s
job of preserving hundreds of thousands of original records
easier. The project is a far-sighted and important effort
in preserving local history. On behalf of the Court and
the citizens of Summit County, I thank the project sponsors
for
selecting Summit County Probate Court as its 2008 Grant
recipient.”
This is the first year that this national
grant was offered. It is sponsored by Ancestry.com and FamilySearch,
and administered
by NAGARA. Under the grant, FamilySearch will digitize the
original documents on-site in the Summit County Courthouse
by the end of 2008 and Ancestry.com will create an electronic
index linked to the images. The entire project is scheduled
for completion in 2009.
About FamilySearch
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is a nonprofit organization that maintains the world's largest
repository of genealogical
resources.
Patrons may access resources online at FamilySearch.org or through the Family History Library in Salt Lake City,
Utah,
and over 4,500 family history centers in 70 countries.
FamilySearch is a trademark of Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
and is registered
in the United States of America and other countries. About Ancestry.com
With
26,000 searchable databases and titles and nearly 3 million
active users, Ancestry.com is the No. 1 online source
for family history information. Since its launch in 1997,
Ancestry.com has been the premier resource for family history,
simplifying genealogical research for millions of people
by providing them with many easy-to-use tools and resources
to build their own unique family trees. Ancestry.com is
part of The Generations Network, Inc., a leading network
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interactive properties, including http://www.myfamily.com,
http://www.rootsweb.com,
http://www.genealogy.com and
Family Tree Maker. In total, The Generations Network properties
receive nearly 8.5 million unique visitors worldwide. (© comScore
Media Metrix, March 2008.) To easily begin researching
your family history, visit http://www.ancestry.com. |
