Who we are and Why we Do It

Ron Smith talks about the history of the CemSearch Project.

What is CemSearch?

CemSearch is a special genealogy computer program designed specifically for people who are "in search of their roots" in a 10 county area in south-central Ontario. It is a comprehensive compilation of thousands of burial plots in hundreds of cemeteries from an area, stretching as far north as Haliburton, east to Napanee, and West to Bowmanville. It is a work in progress, starting in the late 90's.

The formal "technical" name for this compilation is a "Database" which is really (as you may well know) a computer storage method that can hold enormous amounts of data and allows you to search it very quickly to find whatever you are looking for.

The information in this database has been painstakingly hunted down by a large team of volunteers working tirelessly, under the supervision of our Project Leader and Coordinator, Ron Smith.

The data comes initially from cemetery transcripts entered by our volunteers. These are then augmented by the addition of Parish registers, cemetery records, obituaries, newspapers, town records, and information from relatives and friends of the deceased.

Never in this area, has such an extensive database been compiled for people seeking their roots, and offered to Library patrons free of charge (although we would welcome your donations -- projects like this are very costly!).

Disclaimer

Our info is only as good as that supplied to us by out many volunteers in the field -- persons such as yourself.

If you disagree with any data and can provide substantiating details for corrections, we are extremely pleased to make the corrections and/or additions. Please leave a note with the Librarian, or contact our Project Coordinator and Database Manager Ron directly here.

 

The software program is also a volunteer effort, donated to the project.  If you would like changes or additions or bug-fixes, contact Dave here.