FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject Alabama

Alabama Wiki Project Alabama



You can help thousands who will use the FamilySearch Wiki to help them find their people who lived in Alabama at some point. For more information contact evancol

Overall Objectives
The purpose of the Alabama FamilySearch Wiki is to help readers find and use Alabama records for genealogy and family history. The project will update and improve:


 * County pages, such as Jefferson County.
 * Alabama main page.
 * Statewide topic pages. Example Vital Records
 * Other Alabama-related pages


 * Highlight important and relevant items. Long lists of every website or every publication would bury, rather than highlight, what's important.
 * Tell readers what to expect when they follow a link or search a suggested record.


 * Balance content with these four factors in mind:


 * a. Genealogical Value. Does this help Wiki users further their research?
 * b. Clarity. Make sure everyone understands your meaning and the purpose of your words.
 * c. Brevity. Be succinct as possible without sacrificing purpose or clarity.
 * d. Documentation. Use footnote(s) to identify the source(s) of the content you are creating.

First, basic content will be added to the county pages. Some tasks are identified, with step-by-step how to do them for the project. You are welcome to suggest additional project tasks or add information to other topics in a county. First focus:


 * Links to online resources: indexes and/or images of records or how to use those records.
 * Local repositories (libraries, archives, museums) and the records and resources they have.
 * Links to catalogs such as the Family History Library catalog, Google books, and WorldCat among others.

Guiding Principles

 * Highlight important and relevant items. Long lists of every website or every publication would bury, rather than highlight, what's important.


 * Tell readers what to expect when they follow a link or search a suggested record.


 * Balance content with these four factors in mind:


 * a. Genealogical Value. Does this help Wiki users further their research?
 * b. Clarity. Make sure everyone understands your meaning and the purpose of your words.
 * c. Brevity. Be succinct as possible without sacrificing purpose or clarity.
 * d. Documentation. Use footnote(s) to identify the source(s) of the content you are creating.

For each section containing information regarding resources and records, the following should be included:


 * Links to online resources: indexes and/or images of records or how to use those records.
 * Links to catalogs such as the Google books, WorldCat, Family History Library Catalogamong others.

For more style and guidelines for the Alabama and Ohio Wiki Projects.

Repositories Tasks
The first set of tasks includes adding content to each Alabama county page. Content will be added by completing written tasks which will apply to each county. These tasks will have written instructions giving guidance on how to enter information, format the information, and how to cite the information, when applicable. Some of these tasks entail specifically:


 * County headings
 * Verify parent county and surrounding counties
 * County repositories (libraries, archives, museums) - contact information for repositories that hold original and compiled records for individuals that lived in that county including links to the repositories' websites with additional information
 * Locate Family History Centers

Records Tasks
This group of tasks focuses on the following record type:


 * Vital Records
 * Probate Records
 * Land Records
 * Newspapers
 * Church records
 * Tax records
 * Cemeteries

Each record type above will include what records are available, time period the record covers and how they can be accessed including links to databases, images and references to books and microfilm and information to repositories.


 * County histories - list of county histories available with links to online books and references to libraries

Alabama Wiki Project Tasks
Before beginning any tasks please review the Ohio Project guidelines.

FIRST TIME WIKI USERS: For instructions on how to edit the wiki use the following:


 * Online and Video Instructions
 * Editing on the Wiki written instructions

The following are tasks to be accomplished for the Alabama Wiki Project. Each task has step-by-step instructions to accomplish it. '''SOME TASKS (in red) ARE NOT YET READY TO DO. WHEN TASKS ARE LINKED (typed in blue) THEY ARE READY FOR PARTICIPANTS TO WORK ON THEM.'''


 * Task Difficulty Tasks are rated for difficulty. Within each phase task table look for 1, 2, or 3, with 1 being the least difficult and 3 being the most difficult.

Example of Alabama County Page
Jefferson County Alabama

Guidelines and Style
Style and guidelines for the Alabama Wiki Project as well as Ohio.

Discussion and Forum
Paticipants are encouraged to use the Facebook Alabama Genealogy Wiki Project Group as a forum for questions and discussions. This is not yet available.

Community Meetings
To be determined

Online meetings with focus on Wiki pages for Alabama.


 * Share ideas, suggest improvements
 * Get news and progress reports.

Attend from home, at a library, or wherever you have an internet connection and a telephone.

Current Meetings
None are scheduled at this time.

Tasks completed

 * Links to topics in the Family History Library Catalog This allows only the best items to be highlighted in the Wiki while informing users of other records or resources that are available. This also makes it so the Wiki won't have to be updated each time new things are added to the sites included.
 * Fix Starting Dates for records in the Top Table on each county.
 * Top Table in the counties Copy and adapt the table (from the Experimental County) to each county..
 * County GenWeb Links Link to databases on county GenWeb sites, with information to help users decide to click or not.
 * County History List by year historical events that affected the records and the record-keeping in each county, such as settlement and migration, or natural events, such as flooding, drought, or fires.
 * County Courthouse Find uncopyrighted images of the courthouse (historical or current) and upload them. List their contact information (address, phone, email), including a link to website, addresses, etc.

Counties–Style Guide
See Experimental county page for Utah. We experiment there and discuss ideas and wording and sources under topic headings.

Project Guidelines
The following guidlines will be followed by the WikiProject Alabama members until end of the project, tentatively scheduled for TBD 2012.

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Wording changes
Before changing the saved wording of another team member who followed these rules you must get their consent (except for obvioobvious minor typos).

Links with purpose
The Wiki is not a links repository. It uses links to support the genealogical educational purpose of a page or section of a page. Show and explain links with an educational purpose in mind. Annotate each external link briefly but well enough for the reader to realize what they will be getting if they click that link.

Seek out local and unique
Seek out local and unique genealogical search strategies, records, or repositories and explain them to readers.

Describe each edit
Describe each edit in thefield before clicking the Save button. 

Thank you for your participation in the Alabama Research Wiki project.