[Genealogy-SIG] GENEALOGY NEWS 20070116

[jotaito]

 GENEALOGY NEWS 20070116  

 Remember, our February meeting will be at the Family History Jamboree sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ - Latter Day Saints on Whipp Road on  17 February 2007 (a Saturday!).  .  

ITEM OF INTEREST:  The following genealogy-pertinent information was found in the Holiday Gift Guide of the Dayton Daily News for 10 December 2006, p. 14.  Please excuse the obvious sales pitch; I pass it on to help insure that the improved database information of interest to genealogists gets the widest dissemination possible.  It constitutes a "big plus" for local genealogists.  I also lived next door when I first arrived in Dayton and spent many an evening strolling through its scenic beauty and majestic trees.  Some years later I learned that it is also an arboretum (for the trees of Ohio).  

WOODLAND CEMETERY IMPROVES WEBSITE DRAMATICALLY

Dayton, OH:  Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum recently announced that it has more than doubled the size of its website, www.woodlandcemetery.org.  

With help from the University of Dayton Research Institute and the Montgomery County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, Woodland now provides access on its web-site to its entire database of over 102,000 burial records.  A very user friendly search engine permits users to find loved ones or famous personages with a minimum of information.  Section maps can also be printed to assist people who wish to visit the graves.

In addition, Woodland added a new "Products and Services" section to its Home page menu.

"Our goal was to provide visitors with an educational and understandable "Tour" of all the options available to them" said Dave FitzSimmoms, President and CEO of Woodland.  "Many people think Woodland is full", said FitzSimmons, "but the truth is we have enough unused land to permit at least 100 more years of active operations".  

The old website elegantly presented Woodland's beauty, legacy and heritage and that has been retained and improved.  The new Products and Services section explains all of the new cremation products and services available, as well as ground and mausoleum options.

"We tried to cut through all the mystery surrounding cremation and burial products and services.  We wanted the site to be clear and educational.  People tell us every day that we achieved our objective", said FitzSimmons.

The site also makes a compelling case for "Prearranging" as opposed to waiting and creating a "family crisis" when a death occurs.  The "Why Prearrange" section asserts that the "Death Rate is 100%" and that hundreds of decisions have to be made in a matter of hours by loved ones ill prepared to make them on the worst day of their lives.  The site discusses nine (9) reasons why prearrangement is a better way emotionally and financially.

Woodland asks that you visit www.woodlandcemetery.org and provide feedback through the "Contact Us" web page.   

  
I just checked the site and it now says there are 103,801 records in their database.  In addition, the site contains a fair amount of information on the history of Dayton, which would be of interest to some history buffs.  


JMF
 
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jotaito