Immigrant Ships
Transcribers Guild

FAQ

This FAQ is for those wishing to know who we are, what we do, and how we do it. If you are reading this it is assumed you are just hearing about our group and that you are at least interested in learning about us. It is particularly our hope that in telling you the following information we may get to meet you as one of our new volunteers. If nothing else, we do wish to let people know about us and that there now are immigrant ships' passenger lists online at our web page. They are free to all who have access to the internet.

If you have any comments or additions, or would like to suggest further topics to be included, please contact the appropriate staff member listed on the Contacts page. We regret that we do not have the staff or the resources to answer individual requests for specific information on your ancestors.

Copyright © 1998-2008 by The Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild. All rights reserved.
 
This document may be freely redistributed in its entirety without modification provided that this copyright notice is not removed. It may not be sold for profit or incorporated in commercial documents without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. Permission is expressly granted for this document to be made available for file transfer from installations offering unrestricted anonymous file transfer on the Internet.

This document is provided AS IS without any expressed or implied warranty.

General Interest

1. Who are we?
2. Where do I get on-line information and guidance?
3. Are there any other sources?
4. What about the data from other organizations?
5. How do I get the latest version of the FAQ?
6. What is ISTG-L?
7. How do I become a volunteer?
8. Ok, I am a volunteer, now what?
9. How do I get a passenger list to transcribe?
10. How much does it cost?
11. What do I do once I have a list to transcribe?
12. How do I actually type the list?
13. How do I send my document?
14. When will I see my passenger list on the website?
15. I'm done! What if I Wanna do another list?

Surname List

1. What is the Surname List? When do I type it and send it?

General Interest

1. Who are we?

We are the "Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild" aka "ISTG". We were founded by a small group of people in late September of 1998. Today, we have over 500 volunteers who work diligently to decipher and transcribe passenger lists which are then uploaded to our website.

2. Where can I get online information and guidance?

For the foreseeable future, it is likely that much of the information you will need will be found only in books, or on microfilm or microfiche in the various libraries, archives and record offices. Do not expect to be able to restrict your research just to data that is available to you on-line. The ISTG Compass can guide you in your search for your ancestors.

3. Are there any other sources?

Yes and no. Our organization was started because this sort of information was scarce and/or expensive to obtain. There are some sites on the internet that have full and partial passenger lists of the immigrant ships. They usually deal only with the webmaster of that site's personal family however. Some genealogists have full lists on their sites as well. The ISTG Compass can help you locate other sites with this information. Also, if you should find in you own searchings, a ship's passenger list that isn't noted on our site, please let us know so we can contact the transcriber about linking to his/her page. Email Patty McCormack, Guild Founder/Owner.

4. What about the Family History Centers?

The pre-eminent source of genealogical information is in the Family History Centers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons). There is no on-line access to this immense library, but there are branches of this library in many towns and cities throughout the world. You would be well advised to seek out your nearest branch of this library and pay it an early visit. Each center is staffed by volunteers who are most helpful.

5. How do I get the latest version of the FAQ?

We would like to be able to say that the latest version of the FAQ will always be found on this page, but in reality minor modifications will appear on ISTG-L first.

6. What is ISTG-L? About the mailing list.

According to one of Rootsweb's FAQs on mail lists, "...Mailing lists are remarkably simple beasties: you send a piece of e-mail to the list's address, and the list retransmits that message to everyone who is subscribed." We at ISTG wholeheartedly agree with this notion. We also thank Rootsweb for making it this way for all of us with their Mail List software. The ISTG mailing list is a closed list. What we mean by closed is that only our volunteers can be subscribed to it. Once someone is set up as an ISTG volunteer they are auto-subscribed to and given the email address to the ISTG-L. Please do not attempt to subscribe to this list as you will be unable to do so.

7. How do I become a volunteer?

So the above sounds good to you. You want to be a volunteer, but don't know what to do next...that's easy, continue to read this FAQ. Please be patient, this work requires a great deal of it. You should also note: The ships are distributed randomly, specific ship requests need to be coordinated through the Research Team. Before going to and completing the application, read the rest of the FAQ and it would also help you to read the tutorials. This way you will know everything you need to know about who, what, when, where, and how we do things within the project. The typing is the easiest part of this work. The deciphering can be difficult and you will probably require a good magnifying glass. One thing you should know is that this work carries with it certain responsibilities. You are required to be subscribed to the mailing list and you are required to read it! We cannot keep volunteers informed of changes on an individual basis. You are responsible for your ship from the time it arrives at your mailbox until it is on the website and error free. You are responsible for reading and conforming to the instructions we have set forth in the tutorials. You must be responsible for providing the most accurate transcription you can produce and setting down in your transcriber's notes an explanation of all information which is difficult to read, offering to the researcher all the help you can offer. While we do not claim to be professionals, we strive to produce quality work. You are also responsible for keeping the copy of the manifests you work on and for returning them to the Guild in the event you leave. This work can be difficult at times and these responsibilities must be taken seriously. After you send in your application by email, please make a copy of it and keep it for further instructions from our New Volunteer Coordinators.

8. OK I am a volunteer, now what?

As a typist/keyboardist you already know your basics. You probably already know some word processing program as well since you have volunteered for this project. However, if you still use the "hunt and peck" method, that is okay too. In this FAQ however, my goal is to tell you how you will go about the process of getting a list from us, how we need that list formated into the computer and then back to us so we can get it onto the Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild's web page. Don't worry, it sounds scarier than it really is.

9. How do I get a passenger list to transcribe?

Most of our volunteers transcribe lists which are mailed to them. Lists should be requested only on Friday by sending an email to the Guild coordinator. Keep it short, put "need ship" in the subject line and include your complete name and mailing address in the request. Also include any language expertise or familiarity you have. Requests are then compiled over the weekend, copied and mailed the following week via snail mail (postal service) to your home, business, or p.o. box address as you prefer. If you are able, you can get your own list to type up at your nearest library or NARA facility. If this is what you would like to do, you need to email the Guild's coordinator, Patty MacFarlane and set up with her what list you are getting so that she makes sure it is: 1. Not already done. 2. Not being done. 3. Won't be done by anyone else since you are now doing it. She also needs to be sure you are not working from material which is copyright protected and she will need a copy of the list before it will be added to our website.

10. How much does it cost?

We are trying to keep the cost at a minimum. We feel that the ISTG should offer the passenger lists we have placed on the net free of charge to anyone who can reach our web page. Unfortunately there is a cost in copying a passenger list from the original microfilm and then again in mailing it to the volunter typist. For many lists this is minimal between one and five dollars. We as a project in its infancy cannot possibly handle the costs that this entails. Thus, it is our gracious volunteers at this point that take on the costs. It is sad that we have to do this, but at this time there is no other way. If you have a budget constraint just let us know in a private email that you would be willing to type a list, but cannot afford a cost more than a given amount. No one but you and the coordinator will know of the arrangement. Otherwise, once you get your list in the mail, you need to send us back the cost of getting the list to you as soon as possible. It is the only way we have the funds to copy and mail new lists to other volunteers. Also, because time and effort does go into getting a list out, we request that you add one or two dollars.

11. What do I do once I have a list to transcribe?

Once you get your passenger list you will need to look it over carefully. Possibly even ask someone else to look at it to see if they can read things on it which you cannot. DO NOT GUESS AT OR CORRECT ANYTHING YOU SEE WRITTEN ON THE PASSENGER LIST. This is VERY important. We do not care about how the words on the list are spelled. That is a sign of the times of our ancestors. Ship's crew members were not always qualified to be doing something such as taking down names of those aboard. This helps to preserve the historical quality of the list.

12. How do I actually type the list?

You will type the passenger list document on the computer in Notepad, WordPad, or Simple Text. You don't need any fancy programs. It also is not worth the kilabytes it takes to save those files with all the unnecessary information needed to make the file look exactly like what you typed in. Besides, we do not have any need for all the frills those programs have. We can only use plain text. You will find that most of your questions will be answered in the tutorials section.

13. How do I send my document?

You will send your finished document either by pasting it into an email or by attaching it to an email as a file.

14. When will I see my passenger list on the website?

That will depend on the volume of work we have coming in when you submit it. There is really no way to say for certain but a week or two should be expected. You keep the list you just typed in case anyone reading it has questions that only you can answer. Your name in the credit at the bottom of the list will be linked to an email to you, so if the researcher clicks on your name, an email to you opens up and he/she can send you their questions. They will probably be simple questions about any names which contain question marks. You might be asked if the question mark represents a letter which is a vowel, or which falls below the line, nothing too complicated.

15. I'm done! What if I Wanna do another list?

You're done! Want another list? Just let the coordinator know you would like to transcribe another list and one will be mailed to you.

Surname Lists

1a. What is the Surname List? When do I type it and send it?

A surname list is one which you also type containing the last names, first names of the passengers on your list and their passenger number. This list also includes the last name of the Captain and other crew members if they are listed. On ships arriving after 1900 there are sometimes other people mentioned on the manifest, relatives of the passengers, friends, etc., these names are also added to this list and the passenger number they are referred under. The surnames must be typed in all CAPS and in alphabetical order and sent in a separate email at the time you send your passenger list. We need this list because our website is searchable by surname.

After you have been contacted by our New Volunteer Coordinator, print your application, sign it, and mail to:
Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild
PO Box 461054
Aurora, Colorado 80046 and mark it to the attention of the New Volunteer Coordinator.