FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject Ohio

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


 * Ohio county pages, such as Hocking County
 * Ohio main page.
 * Statewide topic pages. Example Vital Records
 * Other Ohio-related pages

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.

Phase 1
The first phase includes adding content to each Ohio county page. Content will be added by completing written tasks that 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 - additional county headings will be added to each county page to make them uniform and cover more research topics users may have questions on
 * Infoboxes - adding dates concerning major resources for each county and giving information regarding important Ohio statewide indexes


 * '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

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 Family History Library catalog, Google books, and WorldCat among others.

Phase 2
The second phase focuses on important record types available on the county level in Ohio. Each record type 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 repositoriies.


 * Vital Records (county only) -
 * Probate Records -
 * Land Records- 

Phase 3
The third phase focuses on compiled sources and cemeteries.


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

"*Cemeteries" - links to major cemetery websites that contain cemetery transcriptions for the county

Phase 4
To be determined.

Schedule
Beginning June 2012

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

Ohio Wiki project tasks
The following are tasks to be accomplished for the Ohio Wiki Project. Each task has step-by-step instructions to accomplish it.

Tasks not yet ready
These are not yet ready, but you may want to know what is on the horizon.


 * 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. NOTE: This was a very innovative accomplishment made possible by the community meeting.
 * County GenWeb Links Link to databases on county GenWeb databases, with information to help users decide to click or not.
 * County Headings 2 Comments on the Discussion page for county headings have prompted some changes that need to be made to each county. *County Headings The genealogical community has given careful consideration to the headings and their arrangement in each county. The Utah county headings were created some time ago, and now need to be "remodeled," so to speak. That is the purpose of this task. It requires attention to detail, but is otherwise an easy task to accomplish.
 * 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.
 * History section of the counties Link to online histories of each county.
 * Cemeteries in the counties Link to websites that can be linked specifically to the counties.
 * Family Associations/Societies Links to organizations based on descendency (e.g. Jared Pratt Family Association)
 * Newspapers by county
 * Repositories in the county: libraries, museums, etc. Phase 1: Add contact information for local libraries, societies, and other record holders in each county.
 * State repositories: Utah State Archives, DUP, SUP, State Historical Society, state libraries, etc.
 * Church records Phase 1.
 * Major websites: statewide and county-by-county.
 * Migration: Railroad, trails, etc.
 * Native American records)
 * 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
 * County GenWeb Links Link to databases on county GenWeb databases, with information to help users decide to click or not.
 * County Headings The genealogical community has given careful consideration to the headings and their arrangement in each county. The Ohio county headings were created some time ago, and now need to be "remodeled," so to speak. That is the purpose of this task. It requires attention to detail, but is otherwise an easy task to accomplish.
 * 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.

Example of Ohio County Page
COMING SOON!!

Guidelines and Style
COMING SOON!!

Community Meetings
To be determined

Online meetings with focus on Wiki pages for Ohio.


 * 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.

Join the Meeting
Click to attend the online meeting.


 * Enter the meeting ID:     and click Attend Meeting
 * Sign in as a Guest (or with your LDS Account)
 * Select the desired "Connect Me" options, enter your phone number, and MeetingPlace will call you.
 * Click the Connect button.
 * Once you answer, press 1 on your phone to join the meeting

You can join up to 10 minutes early. If you try to join the meeting at any other time, you will get an error that the meeting doesn't exist. First timers: Test your connection well before the meeting. Follow the link and select Run Browser Test (in

the blue area to the right of the MeetingPlace screen).