According to this announcement, ancestry is now allowing those who volunteer for them, free access to the actual documents, that have been in this project. In other words, if you volunteer to type/arbitrate their records, anything that has been worked on by volunteers can be viewed by you, without a subscription fee.

Here is the announcement:



Free Access to World Archives Project Images Now Available!

* Posted by mphilips
* March 4, 2009


Active contributors can now receive free access to the original images for databases keyed through the Ancestry World Archives Project! Active contributors are participants who have keyed more than 900 records in the last 90 days. If you are an active contributor, you will automatically receive access to these images while you remain above 900 records for the last 90 days.

Our first database keyed through the World Archives Project was the Wisconsin Mortality Schedules so active contributors can now access images in the U.S. Federal Census Mortality Schedules, 1850-1880.

As always, indexes keyed through the World Archives Project are free for everyone on Ancestry.com. Thank you for all the work you do to help preserve these records!

These are the Italian records we are working on now.

Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piemonte, Italia: Registri di Matrimonio e Morte, 1866-1937 (Italy: Marriage and Death Records)

(their copies are enhanced and most are very easy (clear) to read)

If anyone can use these records, go volunteer...and you will have free access when they go online. You do NOT have to index these, you can work on any records there and some are very easy, just a type written name, NY Naturalizations...(not NYC, these contain more info to type).

Thank you for sharing this with us. I'm sure this may be of interest to many people.

Eleven wrote:

These are the Italian records we are working on now. Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, Piemonte, Italia: Registri di Matrimonio e Morte, 1866-1937 (Italy: Marriage and Death Records) (their copies are enhanced and most are very easy (clear) to read) If anyone can use these records, go volunteer...and you will have free access when they go online. You do NOT have to index these, you can work on any records there and some are very easy, just a type written name, NY Naturalizations...(not NYC, these contain more info to type).

Is it possible to go volunteer if I'm in Italy? If so, how does that work? Do they send documents by email or they provide a password to access documents that have to be indexed? I like genealogy and I can very easily read old handwriting. In addition being Italian I have an advantage in deciphering surnames.
The Verbano-Cusio-Ossola area was part of Novara province up to 1992. My maternal line comes from a village which is still part of Novara province but borders Verbania province.


Ada

Yes, you can volunteer if you are in Italy. I tried to add the link, but when I get to their main page, I am logged in already, so I dont see the link to volunteer. You can try going to ancestry.com or the Italian site and look for a place to sign up for the world archives project.

This is very simple to do..nobody sends you anything, it is all done by their indexing program. You sign up and download the program. Once you get it..inside of it, up at the top..is a help area, that will show you how to use it (if you cant figure it out). Anyway..in the program, there is a button to download a set. A set of anything, consists of 5 pages.Some have more, but those are simple name and date cards, they go fast.

You choose what you would like to work on and click it a a set comes to you. You open up the set to begin working on it. If you dont like it..you can send it right back. If you start it and dont like it..you can send it right back. The 5 pages, might consist of some blank pages, or an index. To the side you see a little list, one thing on the list will say image with no data, or cover page..and you would select that.

Anyway..once a document is set up (it walks you thru the setup of each document) a typing area appears on the bottom..and the document is on top...you can scroll the document around. During the setup you choose how the highlights will work...so as you type, the document auto moves. I shut it for the italian documents and hand move it around..because I find myself going here and there looking for the info.

The typing area has little boxes..or fields. Each one has a title, of what goes in the box. First name, last name, age, etc. You find that info on the document and type it in. Once that document is done, you hit a button to take you to the next.

The first few things that I did, both at the fhl and ancestry, took me a while. It takes a little time to figure out where things are in the program..and where they are in the document...so dont become frustrated during the first day or two. Once you figure everything out..it goes pretty quickly.

Ancestry has a forum..where people will help you. FHL has nothing..you have to email them to ask a question. But, I am here several times a day..and would be happy to help anyone..if I can.

Once more..you are not obligated to do a thing. Nobody ever contacts you. You can download the program, take a look and never use it. You can download any document and return it done or undone. If you downloaded a document and it sits in your computer for a week...they auto take it back...so you dont have to worry about having something that belongs to them.

If you decide to sign up..let me know..I dont think you will need much help from me if you work on the italian documents. I am sure you can do much better than me, since I am not fluent..and in those that arent on printed fill in the blank forms..I have to hunt for the info. You can pick it right out, because you can read everything..lol

I like working on the italian documents.

Ada, If you cant find the place to sign up, send me an email address for you, in private message here..or right in the post. I found an "invite a friend" link. I cant see everything it says in the invite, but I am sure there has to be a link in it, to click.