Ready, Set, Go!

You may have noticed that we are taking turns writing blog posts here at the Society for One-Place Studies. You are going to be hearing from a variety of voices, seeing words spelled differently or terms you might not be familiar with (hint – some of us are North Americans), googling or binging places you have never heard of before to get a better sense of someone else’s study, reading study profiles and in-depth profiles to gain some insight from other one-place researchers, perhaps checking out their websites for ideas to start or improve your own website, chatting or asking questions on the Forum, reading the Newsletter and perhaps suggesting a topic or writing an article for a future issue (contact me if you are interested in that – seriously I’m the newsletter editor!). Did you notice what all of those activities have in common? Everything I mentioned is ACTIVE! And that is because while our studies may look to the past, the purpose of our Society for One-Place Studies is to focus on sharing the past with the present and the future. Our Society will grow and evolve based on the needs of our active membership.

So much of the time our one-place study is a solitary pursuit (whether you do your research alone or with a few fellow researchers). You can attend a local historical society meeting if you are near your one-place study. You can publish a blog or a website and hope that it sparks the interest (and assistance) of someone who shares your love for that same place. But now there is a place where you can interact, share, compare, discuss, teach and/or learn with others who share your same interest (different places but one mindset). Our Society is about active participation and that means you and me! I encourage you to join in at the Forum and ask questions or share your insights with other members. Please read the first issue of our Newsletter and provide suggestions as it takes shape – what types of articles do you want to read and what are you interested in contributing to the Newsletter? We plan to roll out a Google+ Community in the next few weeks. Are you interested in attending virtual meetings or seminars via a Google+ Hangout and, if so, what topics do you want to learn more about?

When I started researching my grandfather’s family history, I spent some time learning about Newfoundland and its connections to Ireland. It was important to learn the history, geography, government, migration, economy, and culture in order to place my grandfather and the earlier generations of Keoughs in the context of their times and place. Early on I was directed to a website called Newfoundland's Grand Banks. It was originally set up by a few volunteers who joined together to transcribe the 1921 Newfoundland Census. When that project was completed they just kept on transcribing records including earlier and later censuses, atlases, directories, vital records (births, marriages and deaths), obituaries, burial and cemetery records, and local histories. A steering committee was organized - they broke the island down into regions and asked for volunteers to write about the various regions, organize transcription projects, add photos, join a forum, and provide answers to questions posted online. This site is a treasure trove of information. It has been a real boon to me because I am 4,400 miles from my one-place study. I mined the various records but soon realized that at some point I would need to make the trip (first to the Family History Library to review microfiche and microfilm copies of various records and second to Newfoundland to do some hands on research and meet the local population to learn more about their history).

These are the lessons learned from my (continuing) experience:

1. There is no substitute for doing hands on research.
2. There is no substitute for learning how to do research and for sharing methodology so we don’t each have to reinvent the research wheel.
3. There is no substitute for making friends with people who do the same specialized research that you are attempting and having a forum to 'pick their brains'.
4. There is no substitute for staying active and interactive with your research and your study.
5. There is no substitute for having people you can bounce ideas off of, ask questions about methodology or technology.
6. There is no substitute for distance learning and taking advantage of the newest technology (like Google and Skype) to connect with other researchers and/or people in your one-place study.

And that is the point of a Society – active, interactive, evolving and dynamic, based on the needs and interests of its members and providing something for present and future one-place researchers. We need you to do more than publish your profile or link your website. We want and need you to engage. Together we will gather the methodology, technology, questions and answers, suggestions and tips and cheer each other on along the way. Now we have an active place for our one-place studies – 'céad míle fáilte.'

Tessa Keough