The entire site
http://jamaicanfamilysearch.com is now FREE for EVERYONE. You no longer need a User Name and Password to access the pages in the Members Directory. This was my goal when I first started setting up the site over 14 years ago. Being able to achieve that goal is thanks to both subscribers and contributors.
Those who have paid subscriptions in the past enabled me to purchase microfilms, microfiche, electronic images, or photocopies of documents and registers, not only from Jamaica but from archives or libraries in England and the United States. I spent thousands of hours transcribing information from them to put on the site, often working up to 50 hours a week (so much for a part-time job!).
For other documents on the site, we all owe a debt of gratitude to the contributors who are listed at
http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Samples/announce.htm . Some sent me documents, or went to various depositories and copied them or transcribed them, and others did all of the above.
Another goal was to enable readers of the site to understand the background of Jamaican research, and to find helpful information on how to perform their research. On certain pages I tried to answer every question that was ever asked me in e-mail I received from readers. Those answers can be found on the Help page
http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Samples/help.htmand in the Utilities pages now listed on the Plan of the Site
http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Samples/plan.htmThe Plan has been reworked so that it contains a comprehensive list of all the Lead Pages on the site.
The Lead Pages are important because they usually contain vital information on how to read and interpret the pages to which they contain links. The Lead Pages may also explain the circumstances under which the documents in that section were originally created. Be sure to read the Lead Pages. Be sure also to read the headings at the top of the page you are reading.
The page titles that appear in the Query Results when you do a Search have also been improved.
I hope that all these improvements will make it easier to navigate the site, and you will enjoy the free access to the site.
Happy Christmas!
Patricia Jackson
jamaicanfamilysearch.com