Wiki Status Update
Existing TRP Members
In the month since The Reeves Project (TRP) came back on line, we've been progressively reaching out to our community members. We initially sent a generic e-mail via our Google Group on 27 March (to which about half of our members have opted to subscribe to). We've subsequently sent a personal e-mail to over 260 of our existing community members. (My apologies to the handful of you that received two personal e-mails; I initially started by contacting those who had most recently used TRP before we suspended the service, but quickly realised that was more complex than simply working alphabetically through the list of community members).A handful of those personal e-mail messages have bounced straight back where the e-mail address or domain we have for you is no longer in use. If you've changed your e-mail address since you first registered with The Reeves Project, you'll need to contact us. We've also had a couple of minor ISP's block our out-bound e-mail but we've resent those messages via our Gmail account to step round that issue.
The response rate to our e-mail has been somewhat disappointing. If you've been putting off replying, today would be a good day to do so. If you've misplaced the e-mail "The Reeves Project - Invitation to Rejoin" and would like another copy, please contact TRP127(at)TheReevesProject(dot)org
If you've already requested and received details of your new User Name / Membership ID but are having issues logging back into to TRP, please do let us know. Some users seem to have been able to regain access without much pain, but we suspect others are having issues. In particular, we suspect that in some circumstances the password reset function may not be sending the e-mail you need. Please let us know your problem(s) and we'll work with you to get it sorted.
New Members
We are also aware that some new users have experienced issues working through the enrolment process with us. We apologise for that. We had finessed the new user registration process over the previous seven years that TRP had been in existence before our service suspension in December 2017. The upgrade to the wiki software underpinning TRP that we've recently undertaken necessitated a change to how we handled new user registrations. We're sorry that the rough edges have been too visible during the past month. If you need help completing your enrolment, please contact Martin via TRP123(at)TheReevesProject(dot)org explaining your issue(s) and we'll work with you to get your enrolment completed.We think we've identified the major issues that have been encountered with new user enrolment over the past month and made changes on 26 April to both the Join Us form and the process which will hopefully make life easier for future new users.
Wiki Stats - End April 2018
The total number of pages in the Wiki (as at 1 May 2018) was 7306 (previouslyCommunity members should log in to see more.
TRP Users
We ended March 2018 with 314 user accounts registered in TRP, an increase of six, with two new members successfully activating their account during the month. We welcome new community members Kathleen and Rhonda and we look forward to reading their contributions to TRP.Since we resumed service, we have had 9 new users accounts registered with only three users successfully activating their accounts. As noted above, we are aware that the revised new user enrolment had a few rough edges and have adapted the process for future applicants. We are also aware some prospective members had started to register before our outage and will need assistance to complete the process now TRP is back on-line. Please contact Martin via TRP123(at)TheReevesProject(dot)org explaining your registration issue(s).
Records Online at Familysearch
by Jonathan ReevesOver the last several months, Beverly and Jonathan have been making frequent use of the records now available as page images at FamilySearch to research and transcribe Reeves records and add them to TRP under the various locations and record types under Gleanings. For those unaware, FamilySearch announced last June that it would discontinue its microfilm distribution service and planned to have all their microfilm digitized and available on the website by the end of 2020 (See announcement here). The microfilm distribution came to an end in September and the records available online have continued to grow significantly. These records are available online with a free account (although some require access through a computer at a Family History Center). Most of the records one would usually look for at a county courthouse or state archives (deeds, probate records, wills, equity and other court records) are now (or soon will be) available. These primary sources provide a wealth of information on our Reeves families and have already broken down a number of brick walls. Their availability over the web allows for research in the easy chair that might otherwise be reserved for the occasional trip a repository. We wanted to share this opportunity with you and are also providing instructions on how to access these records. If you want to use these to research your Reeves family or contribute more generally to TRP, but don't know where to start or have trouble locating a record, please post on your Mentor Team's page and we will be glad to provide some suggestions.
If you find records you wish to add to TRP, you can create a Gleanings page. You can provide links to individuals mentioned in the records and we will be glad to add the page to the appropriate structure. For specific guidance on how to create a gleanings page from an image on-line at FamilySearch please see TRP_Moving_Along_Part_17.