Volunteer Spotlight
RootsWeb.com values each individual and organization that volunteers their time and talents to making our site one of the best on the Internet. We hope you enjoy meeting some of these outstanding volunteers whose dedication have made a difference to RootsWeb.com and other researchers.
The Sydney Dead Persons Society
An organization dedicated to assisting family historians to link together
As many researchers know, many groups have been established for the purpose of providing a forum to seek help. Although the advent of the Internet made these groups available to people around the world, local societies such as The Sydney Dead Persons Society (DPS) are available to assist people locally, as well utilizing the Internet to include those who wish to be involved.
The Sydney DPS is the Sydney, Australia branch of the Dead Persons Society. It is an informal self-help group of amateur genealogists who use the Internet. Members are encouraged to share any ideas or resources that might assist others in tearing down the brick walls that can emerge while researching through any electronic resource.
Although Sydney DPS is located in Australia, it is dedicated to assisting all genealogists who are using the Internet for their research, including those who are unable to attend the meetings in person. For this purpose, a RootsWeb.com mailing list, which allows discussions to continue beyond the meetings, was created.
In addition to providing support to researchers, many members of Sydney DPS compile genealogical data into databases for the use of the genealogical community. Possibly the most significant contribution is the Ryerson Index to Contemporary Death Notices and Obituaries in Australian Newspapers. This database is an ongoing compilation of more than 400,000 newspaper records for Australia and New Zealand. It is hosted by RootsWeb.com, was contributed through the user submitted data section of RootsWeb.com, and is the second largest database submitted to RootsWeb.com.
The dedication of this organization to assist researchers makes the Sydney Dead Persons Society a valuable asset to RootsWeb.com users, as well as others in the genealogical community.
On behalf of RootsWeb.com and the entire genealogical community, we thank you.