FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject Texas

Overall Objectives

The purpose of the Texas Wiki Project is to help readers find and use Texas resources and records for genealogy and family history. The project will update and improve:

• Texas county pages. Example Crane County
• Texas main page.
• Statewide topic pages. Example Vital Records
• Other Texas-related pages

Guiding Principles

• Task Difficulty Tasks are rated for difficulty. Within each phase task table look for 1, 2, or 3, with 1 being the least difficult and 3 being the most difficult.

• Highlight important and relevant items. Long lists of every website or every publication would bury, rather than highlight, what's important.

• Tell readers what to expect when they follow a link or search a suggested record.

• Balance content with these four factors in mind:

a. Genealogical Value. Does this help Wiki users further their research?

b. Clarity. Make sure everyone understands your meaning and the purpose of your words.

c. Brevity. Be succinct as possible without sacrificing purpose or clarity.

d. Documentation. Use footnote(s) to identify the source(s) of the content you are creating.

For each section containing information regarding resources and records, the following should be included:

• Links to online resources: indexes and/or images of records or how to use those records.
• Links to catalogs such as the Google books, WorldCat, FamilySearch Catalogamong others.

For more style and guidelines for the Texas Wiki Project, see the style and guidelines for the Ohio Wiki Project.

Texas Wiki Project Phases - Explanation

• Task Difficulty Tasks are rated for difficulty. Within each phase task table look for 1, 2, or 3, with 1 being the least difficult and 3 being the most difficult.

Repositories Tasks

The first set of tasks includes adding content to each Texas county page. Content will be added by completing written tasks which will apply to each county. These tasks will have written instructions giving guidance on how to enter information, format the information, and how to cite the information, when applicable. Some of these tasks entail specifically:

• County headings
  
• Verify parent county and surrounding counties
• County repositories (libraries, archives, museums) - contact information for repositories that hold original and compiled records for individuals that lived in that county including links to the repositories' websites with additional information
• Locate FamilySearch Centers

Other Records Tasks

These tasks are:

• Vital Records
• Probate Record
• Land Records
• Newspapers
• Church records
• County histories
• Tax records
• Cemeteries
  

Each record type above will include what records are available, time period the record covers and how they can be accessed including links to databases, images and references to books and microfilm and information to repositories.

Schedule

June 2013

Texas Wiki Project Tasks

Before beginning any tasks please review the Ohio Project guidelines.

FIRST TIME WIKI USERS: For instructions on how to edit the wiki use the following:

• Editing on the Wiki written instructions

The following are tasks to be accomplished for the Texas Wiki Project. Each task has step-by-step instructions to accomplish it. SOME TASKS ARE NOT YET COMPLETED. WHEN TASKS ARE LINKED (typed in blue) THEY ARE READY FOR PARTICIPANTS TO WORK ON THEM.

• Task Difficulty Tasks are rated for difficulty. Within each phase task table look for 1, 2, or 3, with 1 being the least difficult and 3 being the most difficult.
  

Background and Repositories Tasks

Texas county/topic interest list

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Tasks and the list of counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty
Standardize County subject headings.		3
Verify neighboring counties.		2
Verify parent counties.		1
Locate county societies. Add contact information, link, and significant collections.		3
Locate county archives, libraries and museums. Add contact information, link, and significant collections.		3
Locate FamilySearch Centers. Add link.		2

Vital Records Tasks

Texas county/topic interest list

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Tasks and the list of counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty
Add Vital Records Introduction	28 Mar 2013	1
Add Vital Records Subheadings		2
Add Ancestry Vital Records Part A. Wait to complete this task until Vital Records Intro and Subheadings tasks are complete for your chosen county.		2
Add Ancestry Vital Records Part B. Wait to complete this task until Vital Records Intro and Subheadings tasks are complete for your chosen county.		2
Add FamilySearch Vital Records. Wait to complete this task until Vital Records Intro and Subheadings tasks are complete for your chosen county.		2
Add Vital Records Other Repositories template		3

Probate and Land Records Tasks

Texas county/topic interest list

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty
Add Probate Records Introduction	1 Apr 2013	1
Add Ancestry Probate Records		2
Add FamilySearch Probate Records.		2
Add Probate Records Other Repositories template.		3
Add Land and Property Records Introduction	3 Apr 2013	1
Add Land and Property Other Repositories template		3
US GenWeb Vital, Land and Probate Links		3

Newspapers and Church Records Tasks

Texas county/topic interest list

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Tasks and the list of counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty
Add Historical Newspapers Introduction		1
Add Historical Newspapers Headings		2
US GenWeb Church, Tax and Newspaper Records		3
Add newspaper records other repositories template	16 Mar 2013	1
Add Church Records Introduction	16 Mar 2013	1
Add Church Records Subheadings		2
Add FamilySearch church records		2
Add church records other repositories template		3

County Histories Tasks

Texas county/topic interest list

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Tasks and the list of counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty
Add County Histories Introduction	2 Apr 2013	1
FamilySearch County Histories		3
Ancestry County Histories		3
County Histories found in Google Books and Internet Archive		3

Tax and Cemetery Records Tasks

Texas county/topic interest list

Topics Not all counties have records included in these tasks. Please add the tasks only to the counties listed. Tasks and the list of counties appear when you click on the blue link.	Complete	Task Difficulty
Add Tax Records Introduction	8 Apr 2013	1
Add FamilySearch tax records.		2
Add tax records other repositories template.		3
Add Cemetery Records Intro		3
Add Cemetery Online Links		3

Example of Texas County Page

Crane County Texas

Guidelines and Style

Style and guidelines for the Ohio Wiki Project that we will also use for the Texas Wiki Project.

Participants

Registration

If you are interested in participating in the Texas Wiki Project, click here to register as an Texas FamilySearch Wiki Project Volunteer. As soon as you are registered, you may begin to add information to any of the tasks typed in blue in the tables above.

Discussion and Forum

Paticipants are encouraged to use the Facebook Texas Genealogy Wiki Project Group as a forum for questions and discussions.

Community Meetings

To be determined

Online meetings with focus on Wiki pages for Texas.

• Share ideas, suggest improvements
• Get news and progress reports.

Attend from home, at a library, or wherever you have an internet connection and a telephone.

Current Meetings

None are scheduled at this time.