RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lancashire => Topic started by: RootsChat on Friday 27 August 04 23:11 BST (UK)
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Southern Cemetery opened in 1869 and is one of Manchester's largest Burial grounds and yet to be transcribed :o :o
We are looking to set up a group to transcribe spring/summer of 2005 so you have plenty of notice ;)
Are there any RootsChatters within reach of Manchester interested or able to offer help ?
RootsChat :)
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Hi there Rootschatters
Would be quite happy to come up for a week or so in the Spring / Summer of 2005 (maybe even longer) if you can find / obtain permission for the erection and use of a conway trailer tent for the duration.
Have much experience of Transcribing - could also draw a plan of the yard using a plane table or offsett and baseline procedure.
Has anyone a global positioning station - could survey the whole yard in a week using that kind of equipement.
Chris in 1066Land
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Have some folks buried there. What are your proposals and is
the transcription going to be freely available?
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Hi skippy
What are your proposals and is
the transcription going to be freely available?
Rootschat is away on a weekend break at the moment - but, I think that I can safely say that as everything on this site is free; I can not see them changing that for the MI transcriptions.
Plus it will make a fantastic resource, and be a terrific communial project to take part in.
Like a 'Rootschat' annual convention
Chris in 1066Land
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Hi Chris and Skippy,
Thank you for your offer Chris, it is a big job that would need military style running ;D
As Chris says, it would make a fantastic resource that everyone could join in and work together just we all do on some of the postings. It would be an opportunity to meet other RootsChatter and involve other budding genealogists who like to join in.
The project has never gone ahead before due to a lack of numbers, but if there is enough interest then as Chris says it could soon be covered and the information preserved.
I like the annual convention but !
RootsChat :)
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Hi Rootschat
I am quite willing to oversee the transcription work of Manchesters Southern Cemetery in 2005; and because of the size, it would need to be planned very carefully and precisely.
Rootschat members could come for odd days, afternoons or the weekend and give an hour or several hours to the project
I already teach the same here in East Sussex - details from my course:
Social History - Surveying, Recording and Interpretation of a Churchyard. (10 weeks) - A graveyard study is evidence-based learning where students not only learn to evaluate evidence from the past critically, but they must first record that evidence themselves and thus help to preserve it for future generations. Graveyards are under constant threat of damage or destruction by time, the elements and Vandals and the surveying and recording of the churchyard can considerably enhance a students sense of responsibility. Archaeology is not just digging, it is “The study of people through their material culture” – i.e. the things people made or used. Students will experience first hand how an archaeologist works; they must make careful plans, keep concise records, write real reports, but most importantly it will show how archaeologists make sense of (interpret) the evidence they collect. Students will actively observe objects carefully and note details, make rubbings or sketches, and take photographs. Students will spend a lot of time in a churchyard – therefore appropriate Outdoor clothing is essential
I would look forward to the challenge
Chris in 1066Land
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Hi
would it be possible for me to post this to other mailing lists, like ENG-MANCHESTER@rootsweb, or local history societies to Manchester?
I have been in touch with admin at ENG-MANCHESTER, and they say i should get your permission first, if its ok with you they we gladly post to the list
regards
joanne
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Hello Joanne,
That would be a fantastic idea !!! ;D ;D
RootsChat
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Hi everyone
This is my first post here. Found you courtesy of the ENG-MAN mailing list and believe me, this is going to be a HUGE project but definitely very worthwhile. The Southern Cemetery is indeed a huge graveyard and it's only just down the road from me (in a manner of speaking) so yes, please put me down as a volunteer and let me have more details/info as and when the time comes. More than happy to help out. Don't have a decent digital camera so presuming you're going to be doing a written record as well as a photographic one (although I'd have thought in this day and age it would be a LOT quicker and easier to do it that way?) then fine.
Just wanted to declare my interest anyway.
Just out of curiousity, has anyone informed the M&LFHS about this? Might be worth posting to their list too? I can do it if RootsChat would like, although I suspect there are probably many others from the list already here and who may have beaten me to it, although I've not read anything there yet if they have. :)
Anyway bye for now
Cheers
Nick (Whalley Range, Manchester)
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Hi
its me again who asked for permission to post to ENG MANCHESTER
someone has asked me, if the transcribing will be from MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS or RECORDS? ???
Thanks joanne
ps Hi to Nick off Eng-Manchester ;D
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NICK
joanne again, i was going to send to MLFHS, but have been unsubscribed for a while and each time i go back to sub my mail comes back. if you could post it that would be great, although when i sent to Eng-manchester, i asked Lynne first, probably best to get some one high up permission before posting although i cant see them refusing
regards joanne
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Hi Joanne
Thanks for the welcome and sorry to hear you're having probs with the MLFHS list. Have you tried sending a message to the list owner (Peter?) or looking to see if it has somehow got turned off? Maybe you can send a turn on command and see what happens? Do you still have the original message that came in from the server when you subscribed to it? Please let me know and I can email you a copy if you want/need one. As I say, sending to the list owner would be your best bet, providing he doesn't already know about it of course. I did notice your message to Lynn/Rootschat and her 'consent' so I'll wait until she posts again then I can mention it for sure.
All the best for now and good luck getting the mail thing sorted.
Cheers
Nick
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Hi Nick
i was on a difffernt email when i subbed last time, i will contact you via The eng manchester list regarding my email address and re subbing
joanne ;)
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Hello Joanne and Nick,
Welcome to RootsChat Nick ! Thank you for your offer we will put your name down on the list ;D
We hope to transcribe from the Monumental Inscriptions themselves with the assistance of Digital Cameras as well as using the more traditional methods.
RootsChat ;)
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Hi Jonew and thank you for your warm welcome and for putting me down on the list. Appreciated.
I know this is probably WAY off topic but as I'm here and not sure where to notify this, I was wondering if anyone else is having probs with the display here? ALL the icons other than the welcome tab at the top and the avatars are not displaying now for me. Having just installed SP2 on my XP (home edition) I don't know if it's that or just coincidence. Also my posts all show me as offline even though I'm logged in. Seems there *might* be a problem. Is anyone else experiencing this or is it just me?
Curiously yours
Nick :)
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Hi Nick,
It was a minor problem that effected up on Sunday morning which has not been resolved.
It looks like you have "hidden yourself" which is why it does not currently show you online. We will try to amend this for you.
RootsChat :)
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Hi there
Thanks for your reply, as always. Yes I can see now things are back to normal as far as the display goes. I was hoping that was the case. :)
As for me hiding myself, I've no idea why that might be so thank you for correcting that. I appreciate it.
Take care for now and thanks again.
Cya
Nick
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Hi, I live near Southern Cemetery and willing to assist with transcribing, I have a digital camera too, if that's of any use. Bye for now, Doreen
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Hi,
I would also be interested in helping out :)
It would be a very wothwhile and rewarding project to be involved in.I would need somewhere to put my little tent up though.
Keep us posted,Mick ;)
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Hi Mickey M
Thats great - you can pitch your tent at the side of my trailer tent - will at least have someone to talk to.
Have got generator, so you can bring lights, laptop etc and plug into my jenny as well
Chris in 1066Land
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Hi Doreen and Mick !
Great you both come armed!
I have made contact with the Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society on Wednesday so waiting to see ;) fingers crossed
RootsChat :)
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Hi Chris and Rootschat,
I'm looking forward to it already :)
I'll keep a look out for updates,
best wishes,Mick ;)
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Transcribing Southern Cemetery, you will need all the help you can get, But a worthwhile project.
You Can count one MLFHS member in, hang on...wife says make that two and a digital camera.
Ken ;)
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Hi Ken,
We are very, very pleased to receive not one but two offers of help and the digital camera will come in very handy ;D
RootsChat ;)
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Massive but worthwhile project.....
Will the project be able to gain access to burial records in order to correlate
info in respect of inscripted and unmarked plots
Add me to the list of volunteers....Can only manage Sundays though.
regards,
SKIPPY
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Manc_Nick - it was a server glitch you should be OK now - and a BIG welcome to RootsChat!
CHRIS 1066 =- I have a GPS unit that you can freely borrow, and a PC lead so you can interface it to a laptop if you can figure it out!!
Trystan
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Hello everyone I'm new to this site, I came across it while searching for info on southern cemetery. Like a lot of people I am trying to find info on my ancestors. Hopefully someone can help, first of all I believe my grandad Patrick Brophy was burried somewhere in the cemetery, and I wondered if anyone had come accross the grave or if they could give me some idea of its location within the cemetery. I am looking for my grandads date of birth and date of his death and if he had any middle names. Hopefully I will be able to use this info to track down a birth certificate in order to get his parents names etc. I think he was born in Dublin, any information or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
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I would love to take part in this operation can't wait
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Hi All
I am also very new to this site(great site by the way. greater still in that it is free)
Well I come from Manchester and most of my family are buried in Southern (buried a sister there just last year)
However I now live in Birmingham, but I do visit Manchester (network rail permitting) on a regular basis so would be able to assist in this project, with plenty of advance notice to arranging TOIL at work.
Having said all that I don't have a clue what this entails but I am a willing pupil, oh and I own two digital cameras.
More than happy to volunteer my time.
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A large number of mine and husbands Victorian family are buried in Southern Cemetery.I would love to help but live in Mid Wales now.Is there any way folk like me can help in some way from a distance please.,
Regards Sheila.
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It is great news that these records will be made available. I have been hoping they would for some time. I am interested in knowing the answer to Skippy's question posted Sept 17th. which was:
"Will the project be able to gain access to burial records in order to correlate
info in respect of inscripted and unmarked plots"
I have some ancestors there that were too poor to have headstones.
Also, there are the cremation records. Perhaps some people would like to be able to have that information.
I would like to help transcribe but I live overseas. If the records were going to be scanned, I could help, as I have transcribed that way for the Free BMD.
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Has the transcribing begun? Will this information be available to all. I'm in Canada, but if you can think of a way for me to help in project - by all means let me know.
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I'd love to help, but it might be a bit tricky from France! (I rambled a long way...) Do you have any dates fixed? If it's during school holidays I might be able to arange something, because it sounds a super project.
Failing that, could some kind person please go to the non-conformist part of the cemetery, Section L, No.1014, where Helen James is buried, and ask her (loudly!) whether she really married granddad's father, and if so, where, when, and what name she was using at the time!!! >:(
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Admin
What is the staus on this project ?????????????????
Many volunteers.....not much feedback
SKIPPY
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Is anyone working on this project ?
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sorry i haven't read all the posts here but I have done some grave recording before and it's a lot easier to use a dictating machine rather than photographing monuments.
There is a group called Cemsearch who do cemetery transcribing. Might be worth finding out if they have already done the Southern Cemetery.
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Hi Mike:
thank you for your reply, and the interesting website you included in your posting.
Manchester's Southern Cemetery, as you may know, is very large, and I have no doubt that transcribing the records, in any way, will a formidable task. However, I had hoped a start could be made, perhaps with the oldest records first.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I would be willing to help if there is any way I can from a distant place ( eg. transcribing scanned records?)
According to the postings on this subject, Tthere seems to be some enthusiasm for starting such an enterprise. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Does anyone have any ideas or information about this project?
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Hi Griz,
We were hoping to start the project during the summer but we just did not have enough interested at the time.
Perhaps we should start a new list for Summer 2006 to see how many are really truly interested in helping.
Sarah :)
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Hi Sarah,
that would be fantastic. :)
Its a huge project, but it would be so useful to genealogists with a Manchester, Lancs. connection. Also people living in, or with ties to, surrounding counties, such as Cheshire, may have an interest in helping, as some of their ancestors may be interred there.
Sometimes, when these projects get started they only have a few keen volunteers, but once the momentum of the project is started, more people want to join in and help. I have transcribed for the Free BMD and saw that happen.
Also, in a completely different situation of course, there are the 'super computer' projects, which use a screen saver to help find possible cures for Cancer.
They started small but now have many people helping:
( Like 'Seti' ) and http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/cancer/pancreaticcancer.html
So I am optimistic and believe that, if we start it, they will come.
There were some people who posted previously on this subject who seemed to have very valuable experience and were willing to share their expertise. That is wonderful. I do hope they still feel so inclined.
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Yes, as Sarah says we are going ahead with this project. For this project, naturally we need volunteers, and also volunteers local to the area, so that we can invlove people in their own local community.
If anybody has been involved in organizing transcriptions, then please get in touch with us.
Our initial thoughts are to have people in pairs. Each grave will be transcribed by hand, and a photo taken of each grave. The technical detail of the photograph will follow, after we get advice.
We will need a team of people to edit and transcribe from some of the images. We will also need wizards to use some quite specialized photo techniques to extract possible text from badly worn graves too we'd imagine.
We also need people who can do some background research on some graves, to add a bit of a story. This will bring the story of Southern Cemetary alive.
This is a massive project, and will be very worthwhile.
Interested?
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Trystan, that is great!
I cannot help with local photography etc, but if the records were to be scanned ( hopefully the oldest ones first before they are lost) I would be delighted to transcribe them, as I did for the Free BMD, if a similar system were to be considered.
I was born in Cheshire but I have many relatives interred there. Some of them have grave stones but, as I mentioned previously, some of their families were too poor to have a headstone put on the grave. We must not forget these people.
Although some ancestors had graves with no grave stones, my family used to put flowers on the slightly raised bare ground where loved ones were buried ( one of these has, just a few years ago, had a stone marker added )However, there are many others graves remain without one. Some members of my family who live in Manchester, still go every Sunday to Southern Cemetery and visit the graves.
I am so happy that this project will get started soon with the recording the stones. Also, as you say, Trystan, we can try to keep the stories of these people alive. They are not only our ancestors but also part of the history of the country.
What an accomplishment it will be to have this resource available for genealogists in the future, and how glad they will be that we got this started. :)
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I'd also be interested in transcribing, and perhaps background research - anything that can be done from France!
Rambler
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reading with much interest on your plans for southern cemetery.My grandmother is buried there 1934 and last year my cousin went to try and locate the grave (with plot number etc) Such a vast place she was despairing,when,another searcher told her to look under the grass !!!!There was the stone beautifully preserved with the actual indentation on the grass. How many graves are "missed"if this happens .you have a big job on hand !!must add that my cousin replaced the turf...............and my grandmothers name wasnt on it !!!!!!!!!!!!
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Whilst a Mancunian in birth and upbringing, I now reside in Somerset - but would love to be involved in any transcription project of Southern Cemetery - I have no experience in transcribing but I'm a fast learner - I visit my family up north often and can give time at weekends to the project - so please add me to the list.
Gosh I'm beside myself with excitement already!
Sarah
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Hi
I live in Manchester and I would like to get involved in the project.
Look forward to hearing more details
Gabbers
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I have been to Southern cem today, I have a plan of the Burial sections if anyone is interested, so you can see the size of it.
Gabbers
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This sounds like a great and worthwhile project. I no longer live in Manchester but have rellies there (and many in Southern) so I could make myself available at some point.
I have absolutely no experience in any aspect of this but would be willing to offer my services as a dog soldier, so to speak.
If there is a timetable for the work please let me know and I will see if I can manoeuvre (I wish I knew how to spell) some time off work.
Glad to help
Wayne
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Hi I live in Salford, have rels in the cemetery and spare time this summer so count me in for the odd day or four. My kids are getting a dab hand at this too as I treat them to graveyard trips wherever we go!
Heather
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Can I ask what happened to this project. The post seem just to stop on this thread.
Regards