The Shelbyville newspaper has just given recognition to the
extraordinary efforts of Phyllis and Melinda in running our Shelby
GenWeb neighbor. If you haven't recently visited their site, it's
worth while doing so for it's exceptionally rich in content, superior
to anything else I've seen.
Two Shelby County women join efforts to operate Internet site loaded with
genealogical data.
SHELBYVILLE, Ind. -- Phyllis Fleming and Melinda Weaver admit to their
addiction, but their habits are entirely legal and enthusiastically shared
by millions around the world.
The two Shelby County women are hooked on genealogy -- the study of family
history. They have joined forces to run an award-winning genealogy Web site.
Through their efforts, thousands of family history researchers are able to
access many Shelby County vital records simply by logging onto the site.
"They've done a great job," said David Craig, president of the Shelby
County
Genealogical Society.
"They have worked so hard and at no financial profit for themselves."
Gone are the days when researchers had to climb down stairs to damp
courthouse basements, fight their way through cobwebs in dusty vaults, then
sift through old documents and papers in mildewed boxes. Nowadays, thanks to
the Internet, genealogical information is becoming readily available and can
be obtained with the click of a mouse.
Fleming is an insurance coordinator at a medical practice and the wife of
Shelbyville's Dr. John Fleming. They have three children: Wesley, 10;
Elizabeth, 8; and Sarah Jo, 5.
"Even as a child, I was fascinated by the Quaker side of my mom's family,"
said Fleming. "I was curious about their rich faith and interesting history.
Also, the Society of Friends kept great records."
Her active research started four years ago, and her interest has not abated.
Weaver and her husband, James, have four children: Kristy, 21; Nathan, 19;
Josh, 7; and Austin, 5. She is a substitute teacher for Shelbyville Schools
and is a hostess at Fiddler's Three restaurant on Fridays.
Her interest in genealogy can be traced to Christmas 1997. She bought a book
on the sinking of the Titanic and gave it to her husband as a Christmas
present. She then discovered that her husband's great-grandfather, Richard
Henry Rouse, was one of those who had perished on the ocean liner. She
bought a copy of Family Tree Maker a month later and has been hooked ever
since.
Even with the Internet, the two are forced to use age-old methods of
research at times.
"Phyllis and I have spent a lot of time in the county courthouse vaults,"
said Weaver. "The folks there have been very cooperative, generous and
helpful to us."
Weaver said she has learned about Shelby County history and made many
friends through her work on the project.
"I've developed great relationships and met many 'cyber-friends' who
have
the same interests," she said.
Family research does have its frustrations, however.
"At times you run into brick walls and find empty folders where you know
documents should be," Weaver noted. "But the challenge only whets your
appetite and increases the thrill when you actually find that missing
information."
Their work has been appreciated by local historians and researchers.
"We cooperate fully and share with each other. They have done so much to
help people across the country find their Shelby County roots," said Maureen
Sheehan, director of the Shelby County Genealogy and History Room division
of the Shelbyville-Shelby County Library.
Corasue Hatton, assistant to the director, agreed.
"They've been wonderful. When people contact us with queries that we can't
answer, we refer them to Melinda and Phyllis. No matter how busy they are,
they always find time to help."
"One of the best"
Bob and Barb Huff, county residents and longtime family history researchers,
are regular contributors to the Web site.
"I think it's one of the best I've ever seen, especially in Indiana,"
said
Barb Huff.
"Phyllis and Melinda have worked so hard on it, and it shows."
Fleming and Weaver met in 1994 at a Lamaze class. When Fleming was offered
the opportunity to take over a Shelby County Web site in spring 1999, she
enlisted Weaver's help, and the two have made the Web site a resounding
success.
Last spring the site won the "Excellence in Genealogy Award" given by
Ancestry News.
Fleming is the site coordinator, and Weaver is the co-coordinator and chief
contributor. While Fleming creates the Web site and posts the information,
Weaver does most of the transcribing of old documents. She types more than
100 words per minute, transforming information into accessible computer
data.
Graveyard visits
Fleming credits her husband with helping and says her passion for genealogy
has rubbed off a bit on the children.
"The kids love to visit the old cemeteries and help search the old
tombstones," she said. "They enjoy handling the microfilm reader machines,
and the two oldest kids like reading old newspapers."
Weaver's husband and children are not quite so enthusiastic.
"Even though my husband, Jim, was excited when he found out his family goes
back to Daniel Boone and his great-grandfather was on the Titanic, he still
thinks I'm rather obsessed. When I do research, my youngest son, Austin,
says, 'Mommy's digging up dead people again,' " she joked.
Fleming traced part of her family back as far as 1680 England, and Weaver
can document some of hers as far as 14th-century England. Both spend most of
their time, however, doing research for others.
"There is tremendous interest out there in family history," Fleming said.
"People want a sense of connection to the past, to those who've gone before.
Many realize how much they have in common with their ancestors, and it gives
them a real sense of purpose."
Fleming and Weaver have several goals for the Web site.
"I would like to make as many primary documents available on the site as
possible," Fleming said. "It's a time-consuming process, but we've made
a
good start."
Already, the amount of information on the site is impressive. There are
wills, probates, deeds, land records, coroner's inquests, naturalization
papers, criminal and civil cases, poll taxes and voters lists from the
Shelby County courthouse.
Plenty of sources
Fleming has posted obituaries, biographies and marriage records. The site
contains records from cemeteries, Bibles, censuses, and births and deaths
recorded by the government during the Depression. There are even letters and
journal entries, newspaper articles, Web link connections to Indiana
resources and worldwide genealogy sites such as Indiana Biographies, the
INGenWeb project and the USGenWeb project.
Dozens of genealogists around the country and from as far away as Australia
continue to make considerable contributions to the Web site.
Don Woodard, a resident of Florida with strong Shelby County connections,
has spent more than 200 hours in the past year copying an index of Shelby
County marriages from 1856-1920 and making it available.
"We would be virtually nothing without all the sharing of this group of
researchers," said Fleming.
It pays to be skeptical
Both Fleming and Weaver make the point that researchers must be wary when
using the Internet.
"Almost anyone can post information on it," Fleming said.
"Always be certain to corroborate the information with at least two other
sources," Weaver said. "People do make mistakes, and there are often
misspellings. It's best to support what you get from the Internet with other
research. But the genealogy information on the Internet can give you clues
that you often just can't get anywhere else."
Nearly 30,000 viewers visited the Fleming-Weaver Web site in the last 18
months.
To visit the site, log on to:
www.rootsweb.com/ inshelby/index.htm