|
Jim Rader's Web site www.rader.org |
|
As you know, I have been the webmaster for CEFHA (Continental European Family History Association) at http://cefha.org for the last year. Since mid 2003 we have had a large website, powered by our new and powerful Myron Grunwald Memorial Web Server #3 (a "2U rack mounted" computer server [an Athlon 2100 chip with a motherboard configured to accept dual Athlons], 1 Gig of DDR memory with space for more, dual 20 Gig speedy hard drives, with full automatic backup and automatic RH9 RAID protection) and secure (SSH) posting to it. It is colocated and is permanently online with only one other smaller user on a T-1 line ... so we have a powerful upgradable server with "beau coup bandwidth". Both indexes are automatically reindexed daily at 12 midnight by our SWISH-e (version 2.24) search engine. Our unique SWISH-e is was selected because it is the ONLY search engine in the WORLD that also has "fuzzy" (= SOUNDEX) indexing. Thus we have two SWISH indexes (with daily updates) on our website: 1) a regular one, with over 517,000 unique names and locations among the 8+ million words and 3,222 files on about 70 Megs of hard drive. Most names, surnames and locations are Germanic. 2) We also have an easy-to-use "fuzzy" index to permit phonetic searches of names where spelling is not known, and I think we have the ONLY genealogy website in the world with this unique feature. Thus to my knowledge, http://cefha.org is the only genealogy website in the world with a Soundex indexing available now, and available for free. http://cefha.org may also be one of the very few websites with a backup webmaster, so we are planning for the distant future. In addition, we have numerous unique databases (I moved my many [built over the last 7 years] from FEEFHS to CEFHA when I left there last February), included several large Germanic ones; the San Francisco Call Database (about 25 Megs in size - under construction, now has 1869-1897, but will be complete with 1906); the Die Vorfahren (Pommern) full name database (largest Pommern surname database in the world - 8+ Megs and just updated); and the FBVC (Foreign Born Voters of California [[circa 1872 - 5+ megs]). I am adding one or more new databases virtually every day I am on line, mostly Germanic ones. In addition to a Finding Aid for all of Siebmachers Nobility books and a major 3 volume Russian Nobility collection, unique genealogy information is available here for virtually every continental European country (we exclude only the British Isles, but cover all of Russia, out to the Pacific) plus Canada. We also have "over 60 "Research (Query) Lists" - that cover all European countries (for Germany we cover separately every Province and City State, plus an "Unknown in Germany" list). All postings here are free, are without length limitation and are maintained indefinitely. We cover religions and have the only known Hutterite genealogy database. We also have unique (= unavailable anywhere else on the internet) holdings of Palatine and Huguenot stuff from Switzerland and Germany. We also have small to large databases (most of them unique) for 8 U.S. states plus Canada. The states include CA, IA, IL, IN, MN, ND, PA and SD, organizations like the Grand Army of the Republic, and rare books like "Deutschen von Iowa" (circa 1900). Many Church registers and some census data is included. Where copyright is an issue, I post "Finding Aids" rather than full indexes, and thus just post the surnames that are found in the book (to avoid copyright issues), with full details shown on where to obtain or find the indexed book and thus get the information it contains. MANY Germanic microfilms, microfiche and books are now posted on my website this way. I have also indexed (or posted as "Finding Aids") several North Dakota and South Dakota books. Fully indexed books now on line include the Anamoose ND Centennial [1998], McHenry County ND Centennial [1985] and Sisseton, SD [1996]). Partially indexed (and on line) books include the Richland County, ND Centennial [1976] and the Lidgerwood ND Centennial [1976]). My "to do" list currently includes the Harvey, ND 75th Jubilee book, the Grant County, SD Centennial [1978] and the Oerlichs, SD [1984] book. I have all these books (and more) in hand and will copy them on request for a small fee. As you know I am a retired professional genealogist. All this stuff is posted exclusively on the CEFHA website and can be easily search in one pass and found by typing a surname or locality into the website index and selecting either the regular search or the fuzzy search. You are welcome to post the above on your Ger-Rus list serves and pass it on to others. Sincerely, John Movius CEFHA WEbmaster
Germans from Russia Heritage Collection Website: http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc > > > > > > Personal Home Page: |