Talk:United States Vital Records

Vital Record Team Notes
6 Aug 2009 Meeting 9:30 - 10:30 - If you are not currently on the team and want to join us - you are welcome!

Members: On Site: Joan, Heather, Beth, Kara, Offsite: Wally, Maurene, Linda

The team started a new "sprint" today and is working in an assembly line fashion.

TEAM GOAL - Finish Alabama and complete Alaska, Arkansas &amp; one other state.

Joan


 * 1) Enters the template structure for all 50 states - 13 remain.
 * 2) Sorts existing information into categories in each state - 1st edit. 13 remain as of today.
 * 3) Adds initial Lost and Missing record information Adds general tips applicable to all states

Wally, Linda &amp; Kara


 * 1) Adds research to each of the categories in one state at a time
 * 2) Customize Online Quick Links &amp; Explanation of Quick Links for the state
 * 3) Add rough charts as needed
 * 4) Add many internal and external links
 * 5) Add sources

Beth &amp; Heather


 * 1) Edit content
 * 2) Add images
 * 3) Create and/or polish charts
 * 4) Add additional internal/external links if found

Naming of state vital records pages
All state vital records pages are not titled the same way. Do the state vital records pages need to be titled consistency? If the pages are named the same way, will that increase the ability to search for and find the pages? Please add your comments about the four different ways state pages are titled and your opinion about the need to rename the pages for consistency:


 * 1) (State) Vital Records - Civil Registration
 * 2) (State) Vital Records- Civil Registration
 * 3) (State) Vital Records-Civil Registration
 * 4) (State) Vital Records

Thank you! Franjensen

United States doesn't have Civil Registration, we believe it would cause confustion. The term is incorrect for the United States. We vote for Number 4 and we will proceed to that end. The record offices are still called Vital Records.

Marilyn Markham, Joan Healey, and Pat Hardesty

You are right about the term being incorrect for the United States. Why do you suppose that it was used in the first place on those pages? Are you three going to rename the pages? If you need any help, just let me know and I'd be glad to help with that. Familyjournals 15:27, 4 June 2009 (UTC)


 * I agree with Marilyn, Joan, Pay, and Familyjournals. The 4th option would be the best choice. Knowing why the term, "Civil Registration" was added to the title is something we will probably never know for sure. What we do know is that the use of the Discussion page is the procedure we need to use to resolve issues like this with the community of active FamilySearch Wiki users. So, thank you to those who have voiced their concerns and opinions on this Discussion page! Steps to accomplish the name change for states with the "Civil Registration" in the title for Vital Records includes:


 * "Move" the page, or
 * Create a new page with the desired title name, followed by
 * Change all pages that link to the old page so that they link to the new page
 * Request the old page be deleted by adding at the top of the old page.
 * Franjensen 14:58, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

I was unaware of the foregoing information when Jeff, Joan, Marilyn, Kara and Michael voted on a standardized title for the vital records pages for each state. The choices were: Alabama Vital Records Alabama Birth, Marriage, and Death Records Finding Alabama Vital Records Finding Alabama Birth, Marriage, and Death Records Find Alabama Vital Records Find Alabama Birth, Marriage, and Death Records The vote was one shy of unanimous for 1st choice: Alabama Birth, Marriage, and Death Records and 2nd choice was Alabama Vital Records. We appreciate input from the community and would listen to any other comments and/or votes for naming the State pages. (this comment was by CK Whipple on July 7 2009)


 * I cannot find this "vote" or discussion on this talk page. Was the decision made outside of the Wiki discussion pages? Franjensen 16:07, 8 July 2009 (UTC)

CK Whipple has brought up a great point. Using the discussion page allows us all to be at the same meeting at the same time no matter where we are physically. This way we can discuss a topic, make a decision, and implement it while in cyberspace. It shows the need that one has to always check the discussion page before beginning the edit of a page.

I was unaware that there was any other discussion about the naming of Vital record pages besides what was previously written here. In June I asked if anyone was going to change the name of the state pages and didn't get a reply. I went ahead and got it done, that is all but Alabama. If the afore mentioned vote had a link to it from here, I would have known that it was being discussed elsewhere. So as it stands, I followed Fran's suggestion and changed the names of all states that included the phrase "civil registration".

FamilyJournals 16:02, 8 July 2009 (UTC)

Tips
There are pages made for each topic, birth, deaths and marriage that are connected with the United States Vital Record Page. Do you think that the tips (in the middle of the page) could be moved to those pages? Let me know what you think and I'll be glad to move over the information. FamilyJournals 01:01, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

There hasn't been a reply to the forgoing message. So I moved the tips section of this page to the page on births and the page on marriages. Please let me know if you think it should still remain on the main page. FamilyJournals 02:49, 13 July 2009 (UTC)

Links for individual states
This link should probably go on a page about the individual states divorces rather than the main page for vital records. I didn't want to lose it, so I put it here for safe keeping until that page could be made.


 * Genlookups.com for Texas divorces Familyjournals 18:06, 31 May 2009 (UTC)