RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: joboy on Thursday 21 August 08 01:28 BST (UK)
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I know that I have raised this subject before (many years ago) and feel that it is about time it is aired again.
The late Ted Wildy of NZ compiled such an index which was a wonderful resource in which interested people would post the names of witnesses to marriages and by so doing anybody who viewed the index could identify other relations in that tree.
When Ted died the list did,in part, died with him.
Hugh Winters (God bless him) of NZ did hang on to the NZ portion of the index and it is still active.
The UK and Australian portions have been sorely handled and what you can find of them via rootsweb MWI Index is only a shadow of what Ted was striving for.
The thought occured to me that such an index would be worthwhile in rootschat.
At over 80 I am afraid that time is running out for me to even think of how this may be accomplished so I throw it open to the court of public opinion.
Take a look at rootsweb MWI to get an idea of what it's all about.
joboy
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The UK Marriage Witness index was given to Faye Guthrie of Australia. She and her helpers had it Rootweb for a while without any reference as to where it was from, and with the names of the contributors missing. After some pushing Ted's name was added, then a few month later the database was removed by Faye.
A lot of extra data was contributed after Ted died.
Now it sits unused, which is not in keeping with what Ted intended.
Those who want a look up can write to Faye via her website, not that I am aware if such requests are processed.
The URL is
http://members.optushome.com.au/guthrigg/
I am very annoyed that this database fell into the hands of those who see it as their preserve to do with as they wish. Sharing resources and information is what this hobby is all about.
Ada Ackerly of Melbourne, Australia, has the Australian MWI.
Keith Flinders
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OK ....... we are getting a lot of readers of this topic but only one 'taker' (Keith) so perhaps some more information is in order.
Have a look at this site to see how important this resourse can be:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ausvic/mwi.htm
Joe
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I might be wrong but the link to http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ausvic/mwi.htm contains the early data from the Australian MWI, and not much or any of the data added after Ted's work was passed to the new holder.
Keith Flinders
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Good news re the UK Marriage Witness Index
It will soon be hosted at http://www.genealogy-britain.org.uk/
with some 80,000 entries.
Keith
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would this mean that I could enter the names of the witnesses that are shown on the marriage certs of my rellies,if so this is a wonderful idea.Sorry if I seem "dumb" but its been a long day!
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Great News indeed Keith .......... we have been waiting far too long to have them where they truly belong.
Joe
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would this mean that I could enter the names of the witnesses that are shown on the marriage certs of my rellies,if so this is a wonderful idea.Sorry if I seem "dumb" but its been a long day!
You sure can .......... start getting them ready now ... I've started already and every one of us 60,000 rootschatters should think seriously about it too,
Just a simple worksheet with the following headings;
Groom Bride Marriage place and date Witness(es)
Quite easy really.
Joe
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I don't understand this, if someone has donated some work to an individual upon their decease then it becomes the property of that person and presumably all rights to it becomes theirs'
Why would other people want access to it. have they contributed to it in the past?
If I leave my work to an individual or organisation without such provisos that it is available to all and sundry, then there are no rights of access.
I think that if this is the sort of problems that come up when you donate work I won't be doing that apart from direct family with full and detailed instructions as to who is allowed access it.
I just find it all very strange indeed.
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I don't understand this, if someone has donated some work to an individual upon their decease then it becomes the property of that person and presumably all rights to it becomes theirs'
Why would other people want access to it. have they contributed to it in the past?
See GENUKI: A Tribute to Ted Wildy, and his Marriage Witness Indexes (MWI) (http://www.genuki.org.uk/mwi/)
K.
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Thanks, I'll contact Phil, known him for a very long time within the Organisations that combined to produce GENUKI.
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To Dancing Master who wrote:
"I don't understand this, if someone has donated some work to an individual upon their decease then it becomes the property of that person and presumably all rights to it becomes theirs"
The UK MWI was set up to share information amongst all genealogists, and sharing is what most of us do. Is it not?
Ted Wildy who died in 1997 would have been horrified to know that his database, which was contributed to by thousands, had become the private preserve of the person who it was given to after his death to continue the work. Access to the information has been limited to the 1994 version for the past couple of years. Now this is about to change, thankfully.
Anyone who sets up a public database that others freely contribute to has a duty to ensure access remains. Rootsweb and other sites will host the information without charge. A good number of the contributors, including myself, were extremely annoyed that the UK MWI was on the verge of being totally lost. The Australian MWI has been destroyed according to the lady who was given it.
There is a least one certificate exchange site that now charges for data that others give for nothing. That site which was offered free hosting and refused it will eventually disappear without trace. Contributing to projects such as FreeBMD and family history society indexing means that your work will remain available as intended.
Keith, Wellington, NZ
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My name is Hugh Winters, holder of the NZ Marriage Witness Index. For those who didnt know, the index is now at
http://www.facebook.com/groups/nzwit
And is alive and kicking, and would love more entries.
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My name is Hugh Winters, holder of the NZ Marriage Witness Index. For those who didnt know, the index is now at
http://www.facebook.com/groups/nzwit
And is alive and kicking, and would love more entries.
Hi Hugh ...... nice to know the NZWI is alive.
I don' t use facebook ....... any other available.
Joe
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It will soon be hosted at http://www.genealogy-britain.org.uk/
I am happy to contribute all witnesses I have but is this website still working?
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Hi Hugh
Welcome to Rootschat ;D
with a bit of luck you might get a flurry of new member requests to your group.
Dawn
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You can always put witnesses for post 1837 marriages as a postem on freebmd.org.