Q: I don't know anything about creating web pages, HTML, FTP, and other alphabet soup. Can I still help?
A: YES, YES, YES! As long as you have a copy of the 1883 History, a computer, e-mail access and a desire to volunteer, you can help. Just type up a chapter in your favorite word processing program, and then either use 'cut and paste' to insert your typing into the body of an e-mail or 'Save as ...' a DOS .txt or ASCII file, and attach the file to an e-mail. We'll find someone to add the HTML code and post it to the Butler Co. USGENWEB page.
Q: I don't type well at all. Can I still help?
A: YES! We also need proofreaders to carefully compare the typed
chapters to the original and check the surname lists to make sure all
surnames are included.
Most typists will probably construct a surname list
as they type, but, in some cases, we may also need volunteers to construct
a list of surnames in a chapter.
Finally, there's a number of illustrations included in the 1883 History.
These include protraits, drawings of homesteads, and maps. Volunteers
are needed to scan these.
Q: Is there anything I need to do before I start typing?
A: Please let Ed Book know when you decide to type a chapter, so that we can make sure that two people don't waste time typing the same chapter.
Q: What do I get out of this?
A: Just the satisfaction of knowing that you've helped other genealogists. The USGenWeb Project is a volunteer, non-commercial organization brought to you by volunteers who enjoy making it easier for other genealogists to find info online. If you think you'd enjoy being part of this effort, come join the fun.
Q: Does the 1883 County History Project have a surname index.?
A: The surnames in the chapters are included in the
Butler County, PA Surname Index and can also be found by using the
Butler County Search Function which supports both Soundex and
wildcard searchs, courtesy of Patti Lindsay's
Surname Helper at the
Rootsweb Genealogical Data Cooperative.
If you can compile a list of surnames in the chapter while you're typing
it, that would be great. Please don't worry about eliminating duplicate
names or alphabetizing the list, since that can easily be done by
computer. Of course, if you know how to use the computer to do that, feel
free to go ahead.
Q: Is there any thing I should know about the format used on this project before I begin typing?
A: Yes. Please enter all last names in all capitals. This will help people to
find a name on a page. In addition, some genealogical search programs
rely on this convention to identify last names.
Please copy the original text exactly except as noted
here and in the next question. Anything not in the original text
should be clearly marked by being included
in [brackets], so that researchers can identify what's
in the original and what's not.
Whenever a new page begins, please include a [p. 362]
within the text. This will help genealogists to cite a specific page
of the 1883 county History as a source.
Any abbreviations that might not be familiar to people
should be expanded in brackets if you happen to know what they
stand for. For instance:
John DOE was a member of I.O.O.F. [Independent Order of Odd
Fellows] Lodge 999 and the First M. E. [Methodist Episcopal] Church.
Q: I've found a mistake in the county history. Should I just correct it in my copy?
A: Please don't. There ARE a lot of mistakes in the county histories,
but our goal is to put a complete and accurate copy of the original
text online. One person's mistake may be another person's
research clue. Conflicting information will be added as footnotes.
Anything not in the original text should be enclosed in
brackets: [example]. If you find what appears to be a
factual error, please type the original
as is, and include the
conflicting information and a source in brackets. For instance:
John Doe came from England in 1832 [Note: John Doe came from Ireland
in 1823. -- 1895 Butler Co. History, Vol 2, p. 597] His
children were ...
If you find a typo in the original, please indicate that it's in
the original text by adding the word [sic] immediately after it. Include
the correction in parenthesis if you can figure out what it is.
John Doe, an immigrant from England, as [sic (was)] a Revolutionary
War soldier, and moved to Butler County in 1800.
Many names in the county histories (especially in the military lists, etc.)
vary from what eventually became the standard Butler Co. spellings. Please
type these as just as they are in the original. (If the name is
'misspelled' in the History, it's likely that it's also misspelled
in the original records. If John DOE spelled his name John DOUGH
when he enlisted for the Civil War, researchers will need to know
that to get his military records.) It's not necessary to try to add
the standard spellings in brackets, since the
Soundex search
can be used to
find the vast majority of these 'mis-spelled' names.
Q: I don't have a copy of the 1883 History, but I did xerox a part of a chapter on my research trip. Can I type just a part of a chapter?
A: Yes. We'll post partial chapters if they're made
available. Hopefully somebody will eventually type up
the rest of the chapter.
We've chosen to break up the Civil War chapters, since they're so long,
and we can do the same with other long chapters.
Q: I don't have a copy of the 1883 History, but I want to help. Can you xerox off a chapter for me to type up?
A: The 1883 County History is 450+ pages long, and xeroxing and mailings costs could quickly become expensive. I'd be happy to do this if you cover the cost of the xeroxing and postage.
Q: What about the copyright? Can't I get in trouble for typing books and putting them online?
A: Anything copyrighted more than 75 years ago is now public domain. Since this County History was written in 1883, all content in the original printing is public domain and can be reproduced at will. Any additional content that may have been added in later reprints (such as indexes, etc.) is copyrighted and is NOT public domain.
Q: When will the entire 1883 County History be online?
A: Who knows? It depends on how many people choose to volunteer.
Q: What about the other county histories?
A: If somebody's interested in volunteering, we'll start a similar project for each of them. The last County History is somewhat problematical. It was printed after 1923 and may still be copyright protected. It depends on whether the copyright was renewed at the end of the initial 28 year period. If so, then it may still be copyrighted for a few more years. Anybody know how to find out?