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Doukhobor Cemetery Transcription Project
Welcome to the Doukhobor Cemetery
Transcription Project! Learn about the project to
transcribe all Doukhobor cemeteries and burial sites in Canada, the current
status of the project, and how you can volunteer to participate.
What is
the
Doukhobor
Cemetery Transcription Project?
The Doukhobor Cemetery Project is an ambitious plan to transcribe all
Doukhobor cemeteries and burial sites in the provinces of Saskatchewan,
Alberta and British Columbia. The first phase (already completed)
involved the survey and establishment of a Canada-wide inventory of
Doukhobor cemeteries - the first of its kind to be compiled. The
second phase involves the transcription of burials in each cemetery.
When completed, each cemetery will be posted on the Doukhobor Genealogy
Website with information about its location, history, usage, physical
layout, driving directions, photographs and, of course, detailed
transcriptions of burials. It will also tell you whom to contact for
more information.
Why is this
Project so important?
Cemeteries are a critical source of information as we document our Doukhobor
family history. To date, few Doukhobor cemeteries have been transcribed
for the purpose of documenting and preserving the information they contain.
Moreover, these cemeteries are dispersed across Western Canada, often in remote
locations, making them difficult to physically access. The unfortunate
result is that most of this valuable cemetery information never makes it into
the hands of the researchers who are looking for it - either because they don't
know it exists or, if they do, they don't know how to locate it. The
purpose of the Doukhobor Cemetery Transcription Project is to provide greater
access to this data by creating a centralized inventory accessible online by
researchers all over the world!
When
will the Project be completed?
With a project this size, it's best to break it down into smaller goals.
The first goal is to have all of the 106 cemeteries in Western Canada adopted by
a volunteer - by Fall 2005. The second goal is to have at least 35
cemeteries transcribed each year for three years - by Fall of 2005, 2006
and 2007. By Fall 2008, transcriptions for all cemeteries will
(hopefully) be complete and the information will be accessible online through
the Doukhobor Genealogy Website. It is anticipated that the project will
be completed over a three-year period.
What
is the current status of the Project?
To date, of the 108 private Doukhobor cemeteries in Western
Canada:
-
101
are complete and available online
-
7
cemetery transcriptions are in progress
-
no
cemeteries require adoption by volunteers for transcription at this time
For a list of specific cemeteries which have been transcribed, see the
Doukhobor Cemetery Index.
Where do I sign up?
If you are interested in contributing to this worthwhile project, we'd love to
have you! Our volunteers [15 at present] come from across Western Canada.
You don't need to live in the area you are transcribing (but it does help!).
Each volunteer receives detailed instructions, data templates and ongoing
technical and Russian translation support. In addition, an electronic
mailing list will be established to allow volunteers to compare notes and share
best practices. If you can help, know someone who can, or have any other
questions about the Doukhobor Cemetery Transcription Project, please email
project coordinator:
Jonathan Kalmakoff.
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