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RadixIndex Newsletter. Vol. 2 no. 1 (August 1, 2001)
(c) Janos Bogardi, 2001
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In this issue:
1. Special announcement: 500,000 records threshold just passed
2. The RadixIndex Personal Alerts service
3. RadixRef growing
4. New database: Surname changes in Hungary 1800-1893
5. New database: Magyar almanach 1888
6. Special feature: 1:200,000 maps of old Hungary
7. Additions to the 1891 industry and trade database toolbox
8. Instant copies from the 1891 industry and trade database
9. The RadixIndex Under construction zone
10. So, what is on your wishlist?
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1. Special announcement: 500,000 records threshold just passed
Yesss, the time is here to announce that additions to the RadixRef database and the release of two new databases mean that the number of records available at RadixIndex has reached the 500,000 figure.
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2. The RadixIndex Personal Alerts service
Besides the new databases RadixIndex now sports a new service, as well. After the simple and free registration its users will receive email alerts when their researched surnames appear in new additions to RadixIndex. Considering that new additions are usually free for month, this service could be a real winner! More details: http://www.radixindex.com/rx005.htm
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3. RadixRef growing
Volume 2 of RadixIndex, RadixRef now has more than 90,000 records and counting. The number of indexed books stands at 37. I expect the number of records to go beyond 100,000 by early September. As the size of this database grows, so does its popularity: more and more subscribers have hits from this database in their account history, and since new additions to
RadixIndex are free for one month, many guests scans the database for updates, too.
More details: http://www.radixindex.com/public/pv002001.htm
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4. New database: Surname changes in Hungary 1800-1893
For a long time it's been a plan of mine to provide the database covering name changes in Hungary during the 19th century. Now the major part of this undertaking is available: records of slightly more 15,000 surname changes traceable in the archives of central governmental bodies make one of the new utilities at RadixIndex. The database uses the content of a book published back in 1895. RadixIndex will not stop at 1893, though: the official Hungarian gazette (Budapesti Kozlony) released surname changes up to 1916. Little by little, I will add these to the database, too.
More details: http://www.radixindex.com/public/pv003001.htm
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5. New database: Magyar almanach 1888
Yet another new volume, volume no. 4 of RadixIndex has arrived, as well. The source of data is a book from 1888: Magyar almanach. Information found in it covers the highest taxpayers of Hungary's counties and cities - the so-called virilists, and also, the book has information regarding the members of both houses of the Hungarian Parliament. The number of included persons is almost 15,000.
More details: http://www.radixindex.com/public/pv004001.htm
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6. Special feature: 1:200,000 maps of old Hungary
For years I've been a keen collector of these old maps, and now I'm just a way too happy to be able to put them online. As making them all available online is not an occupation that could be completed in one day, it is only the first sheet of these maps that is accessible now: Munkacs and its region. If everything goes well, the whole set might be at subscribers' disposal by late Autumn 2001.
More details: http://www.radixindex.com/public/pvm01001.htm
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7. Additions to the 1891 industry and trade database toolbox
Improvement of research tools for the 1891 Industry and trade directory of Hungary (vol. 1 of RadixIndex) is not abandoned. A couple of subscribers suggested that searches should be made not only by surnames, but also by places. Well, I think I will be able to announce this feature in the next issue of this newsletter, here is an other utility that might make searches more powerful: the list of variations for the most frequent surnames was set up during the Spring of 2001. 900 surnames with their 6000 different spellings cover 173,000 persons, which is almost 50% of the whole database.
More details: http://www.radixindex.com/public/pv001006.htm
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8. Instant copies from the 1891 industry and trade database
The other new feature of the 1891 industry and trade database is that copies of pages from the original publication are now available any time, in a matter of seconds. Copies that subscribers chose to download can be downloaded again, without any extra charges. And add to this that the quality of copies has also improved.
Members' entrance: http://www.radixindex.com/members/
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9. The RadixIndex Under construction zone
There is always something in the works at RadixIndex. The continuation of the surname changes database has been mentioned above, and RadixRef will provide new records, too. Here are a couple of other good things coming to RadixIndex in the near future, with their estimated record figures:
- Persons employed by Hungarian railway companies, as of 1911, with some 40,000 recs.
- Teachers of Hungary's elementary schools in the 1880s, with some 20,000 recs.
- Teachers of Hungary's elementary schools, early 1900s, with some 4-5,000 recs.
- Medical doctors and chemists in Hungary, late 1800s, with some 2000 recs.
- And a project that might not be of general interest, though, it could be welcome by some: records for the archontology of Transdanubia (West-Hungary) in the 16-17th centuries. I built this database during the first half of the 1990s, and collected some 60,000 records into it. Now it could be the time to share it with researchers.
To some extent, this latter database would be different from existing ones as it uses not only books and other printed materials, but original archival sources, too. It is my strong intention to introduce datasets based on handwritten, difficult-to-access sources to RadixIndex. I hope this will be met with good reception by subscribers.
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10. So, what is on your wishlist?
Although I cannot promise complete dedicated record search for every subscriber I might be able to collect and transcribe pieces of sources in subscribers' particular interest. Please do not take this granted, but if you are a RadixIndex subscriber, and you let me know the place(s) your research is targeted at, we could find sources containing new information. I could fetch the source, transcribe it, and add it to the RadixIndex collection. Then you, or any other member could download the records. As the subscriber base grows, this might make sense. All in all, I would be grateful, and you might be happy, if you would provide your wishlist!
As always, check new things out on the RadixIndex website:
http://www.radixindex.com
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