The Golden Nugget Library

About a month ago, I came across the Golden Nugget Library, which is a genealogical resource of California databases. I can't recall how I found the link or what I was looking for, but I noticed that there was a small post about needing volunteers to transcribe bios.

Since I've always been fascinated by bios, I figured it would be fun to volunteer and help transcribe. After all, who knows what I'd learn in the process? So, I sent off a note, and within a few days, I was transcribing my first bio. 

The bios I'm working on are for folks living along the northern California coast. It's been interesting to read about these people who started the towns I once lived in. Here's a sample of the original page from one of the bios I'm working on:

Courtesy of Golden Nugget Library

If you click on the image, it will take you to the transcription of the page. As you can see, the subject of the bio, Frank H. Moon was born in 1861. Most of the bios I'm currently helping to transcribe are about folks back in this time period. The book was published in 1904, so it's understandable that these people were history makers in California at the time. 

One interesting thing about working on the transcriptions is trying not to correct some of the mistakes I find, like sentence structure or missing commas. The language of that time is so much more formal, yet there is a familiarity in the writing, as if the writer of the bio is trying to make the person your friend. Nevertheless, it's been fun, and I'm looking forward to continuing the transcriptions in my spare time. I know it's giving me ideas of what I'd like to include if I wrote up a short bio of myself for my All About Me book. 

Enjoy your weekend!