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Mail
List, Inquiries & Roll Call
NOTE: Please sign your first and last to your message's please. We have over 850+ mail Listers and we need to know which Barbara or John, etc. you are. Unless your name is clearly provided in your email address.
Suggested (not required) inquiry formats & tips for sending list messages & roll call postings: 1:
Subject Line: Place your
surnames and/or villages of interest in the Subject Line.
For a general posting, choose a subject matter that will
correlate with your message. Note: if you have too many surnames
and villages to list in the subject line, we suggest you place
your 2 main ones, for example: Subject: Roll Call:
MARMON / Mehala - INGRISCH / Mercydorf
You can list all the others in the body of your
message. See surname and village
comments below.
2:
Alignment of Names/Villages:
It is suggested that placing surnames in UPPER CASE and in a vertical column
makes it easier to read, by those list members performing look-ups for you.
If the location is unknown a (?) is sufficient, but please don't
put down "..born in Banat or Batschka, etc..." Post the
village associated with the surnames, for example:
|
Example 1 |
Example 2 |
|
ALLAR - Grabatz
ALTZINGER - Bogarosch
AMSCHLINGER - Sellesch/Lunga
ARNZNER - GrossJetscha
BAUER - Grabatz |
Village Grabatz:
ALLAR
ALTZINGER
AMSCHLINGER
Village
GrossJetscha:
ARNZNER
BAUER |
Referencing Surnames: Name
changes happen for various reasons. Published village
family books record surnames in German, so we suggested providing the surnames prior to being
Americanized or otherwise changed; because most volunteers
who will conduct lookups are not familiar with all the
various surname changes.
Referencing Villages:
Using your villages' German
name variant (if known) and all other
language variants will enable someone searching to find your
inquiry in the archives database.
The Donauschwaben
Village
Lists
found on each regional site,
providing all known language
variants.
These lists are updated periodically
with new updates.
3:
Start your own thread/message/subject:
When posting your own surname roll call or general inquiry,
don't tag
on to a previously sent email, start a your own
thread/message/subject. It is easier to spot a particular name or
village in the
DVHH archives as opposed to never finding it because it is hidden in
unrelated messages that most likely the searcher will
never open.
Referencing Surnames: Name
changes happen for various reasons. Published village
family books record surnames in German, so we suggested providing the surnames prior to being
Americanized or otherwise changed; because most volunteers
who will conduct lookups are not familiar with all the
various surname changes.
Referencing Villages:
Using your villages' German
name variant (if known) and all other
language variants will enable someone searching to find your
inquiry in the archives database.
The
Donauschwaben
Village
Lists
found on each regional site,
providing all known language
variants.
These lists are updated periodically
with new updates. 3. :
Start your own thread/message/subject:
When posting your own surname roll call or general inquiry,
don't tag
on to a previously sent email, start a your own
thread/message/subject. It is easier to spot a particular name or
village in the
DVHH archives as opposed to never finding it because it is hidden in
unrelated messages that most likely the searcher will
never open.
Regardless if it
is a roll call or a recipe message, when starting a new topic,
new subject line is suggested. Robert's message above is a
good example of a message that started out correct, then went
array:
Here is a good
example by Robert Evensen:
https://lists.rootsweb.com/hyperkitty/list/donauschwaben-villages.rootsweb.com/thread/7894964/
- it went from a roll call to recipes...
- it went from a roll call to recipes... moving on . .
What is a lookup?
Many fellow researchers have acquired relative reference books specific to the Danube Swabian, whether it be on a village or regional level, they may have the book to assist with your research. They generously volunteer their time & willingness to
share freely. Our volunteers are the backbone of the DVHH.
Posting an Inquiry or Requesting a Look Up
Request Manners a must:
As a results of an inquiry, often a helpful list member will
spend days researching information for an inquiry.
Sometimes without even receiving a "Thank You," which is
not polite. At
times an inquirer will reply "Oh, I have all that information
already" and/or "I just wanted to see if yours matches with
mine." This is an infringement on the valuable time
of the one helping and shows a lack of consideration and respect
to those who go out of their way and offer their time to do a
free research in your behalf.
Lookup Request Manners
by Ron Gretz
Place in the subject line, ie.: Lookup: Heimatbuch 1993; Die
Deutschen Erstsiedler 1942 by Dr. Berta List; Westmarkliche
Abhandlungen zur Landes-und
Please be
specific with your request.
The books are written in German and sometimes difficult to read,
therefore realize the informants are not professional
genealogist and are still prone to making mistakes.
While your information is provided to you freely, some Lookup
Informants are offered payment for time consumed in extensive
searches, which is in the way of a genealogy service.
The Informants are here to help you, so please don't take
advantage of their time and generosity. If you request
photo copies of the pages, volunteer the cost of copying and
postage.
Writing a
Successful Posting
by
Susan Williams
explains how-to and gives examples:
You’ve been
reading the list for a while – enjoying the banter between
the listers and you decide it’s time to join in the fun.
So you post a reply – but you receive only one or
two replies. Worse
yet – your post is completely ignored!
Here are a few pointers so that doesn’t happen to
you.
First,
keep in mind that you may be reading each and every post but
many subscribers actually read more than one mailing list.
Some only read the posts that might pertain to them
or only posts looking for information they are familiar
with. Most
readers want to help you –
You
have to help them find you!
Subject
line:
This is your attention getter.
Be clear and concise
For
example:
Subject:
Smith/Jones fr. Knees circa 1899
Subject:
Lump from Ujpanat/Neupanat c. 1850
A subject line than only says
Help! or Can you help me may get passed right over and you
will be out of luck.
An
Important Point:
If you are responding to an existing
post but are changing the topic – then change
the subject line too.
The post will be easier to find and easier to track
later in the Archives.
Next – the actual posting:
1. Start with the most
prominent information you already know.
Ex. My
grandfather, Jacob Schlee, was born circa 1881 in Knees
If
the date is approximate – just say so.
Saying someone lived in a town at the end of the
century doesn’t give enough clues for people to know where
to start looking.
2. Summarize
what information you already know
or
tell what
sites you have already searched.
This
alerts readers – and will stop them from spending valuable
time looking up things you already know!
Ex.
Wife’s name: Theresia
– maiden name may be Schneider or Stolcz.
Arrived Ellis Island 1911 with 3 children George,
Paul & Frank.
Or
-- I have read
Ellis Island records, social security records but don’t
know where else to turn.
3. Say
what you would like to find:
Be
specific.
If asking about a person:
Identify when and where they lived – approx. birth
date or age when they lived in the known location.
This gives others a place to start.
Remember
the more information you give, the more opportunities other
reader’s will have to identify with your family or
situation.
If
possible include other surnames you are searching.
For
example:
Searching
surnames:
Sander/Lump/Reichert/Schneider/Lais/Steger/Schlee/
4. And last but not
least:
Post
a thank you to those who
responded to your inquiry. The readers of this list (and others) want to help – but if
they don’t receive any response from you, they may get
discouraged.
After
all, they took the time perhaps to research and now don’t
even know if you read their e-mail.
Question:
Should
I just Reply to the poster
or
Should I do a “Reply All”
You
may reply just to the poster, if you feel the message is
personal.
However,
all readers can learn from postings even those that don’t
apply directly to them.
Postings can alert readers to surnames, towns, and
other information – even new places to look – new places
you never even thought of.
In the
long run, it makes sense to do a Reply All because this list
is meant to be an exchange of ideas between all readers.
Susan
Sander
The above suggested
(not mandatory) formats and tips are to help you in achieving
your research goals and aid you in making connections with
distant cousins and other village associates. We hope this
does not discourage you in posting a message you are comfortable
with.
Have suggestions or additional tips, please
contact us.
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Potential Contributors
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to the extent that these are known.
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be published on the DVHH
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[DVHH
Editorial
Committee]
[Published at DVHH.org
2003 by Jody McKim Pharr] |
