by Cathy Gilmore | Dec 4, 2020 | Features
Try Out a Kindex Archive FREE with our Special Holiday Coupon!
Kindex is offering a one-month free coupon for your first month of a Closet (private) or Cloud (public) Kindex archive. Add unlimited records, transcribe your records, collaborate with family, all on a personal, secure archive. Sign up for a Cloud or Closet archive and enter the coupon code gsdzy to receive your first month free.
This Holiday, Save $150 and Jump-Start Your Family Archive with a Kindex Box Special!
This year, give the gift of a family record rescue! Kindex is here to help you rescue your family records by offering an incredible special on an all-inclusive family record rescue! We are offering special “Box Special” pricing through December 31, 2020 to help Utah residents take advantage of this incredible offer. Normally $399, the Box Special is a fantastic gift for any family or family organization.


What is a Box Special?
A Box Special is an all-in-one solution to rescue your family records. We will:
- Scan of one full banker’s box of your records
- Provide curbside pickup and dropoff of your family records (Weber, Davis, Wasatch, Utah, and Salt Lake Counties)
- Process and load all digitized records to your Kindex archive
- Provide a flash drive backup of all digitized records
- Create a custom “How To” video to help you get started
Offer is available for all current and new Kindex archive owners. Learn more about our archive features. Ready to go? Contact us using the link below to take advantage of this offer. Have more questions? Keep reading.
Box Special FAQ
- Who provides the banker’s box? You may use any standard size banker’s box you have. Banker’s boxes can be ordered from office supply stores.
- What type of records can Kindex scan? Photos, letters, diaries, documents, and scrapbooks. If there are documents that require special handling, such as fragile or oversize documents, or a large number of bound volumes, an additional fee will apply. If you wish to digitize film, slides, audio, and video, these items can be quoted separately.
- What scanning standards does Kindex follow? a. We scan photos at 600 DPI and documents at 300 DPI. Higher or lower res files can be provided upon request (additional fee may apply). b. We can provide both PDF and JPG file formats. PDF files are generally optimized for size and faster loading. Additional formats, such as TIFF, can be provided upon request (additional fee will apply). c. Processing digitized records includes (when applicable): rotation, cropping, standard color correction, combining related scans, and naming each file using an agreed-upon nomenclature. For example, scanned letter pages will be combined into a single PDF file. Custom file correction available upon request.
- Can Kindex scan more that one box? We can offer one Box Special per household at the promo price of $299. Additional Box Specials are $599.
- When will my Box Special be complete? Turnaround is typically four weeks, but we may require additional time depending on schedule.
- What if I need time to gather my records? As long as we start on your Box Special in 2020, you’re good to go!
For questions about the Box Special, or to get started, contact us using the the link below.
Share & Index Publicly
Unlimited records
Unlimited Collaborators
/MONTH
$0/month with
Kindex Rewards
Invite-only
Unlimited records
Unlimited collaborators
/MONTH
$5/month with
Kindex Rewards
Get a searchable archive fast with a custom scanning & archive bundle!
1-Year Cloud or Closet Archive
+ Scanning
by Cathy Gilmore | Apr 15, 2020 | Features, Software
Jump-Start Your Family Archive with a Kindex Box Special
Kindex is here to help you rescue your family records by offering an incredible deal on an all-inclusive family record rescue! We are extending our “Box Special” RootsTech pricing through June 2020 to help Utah residents take advantage of this incredible offer.
What is a Box Special?
A Box Special is an all-in-one solution to rescue your family records. We will:
- Scan of one full banker’s box of records
- Provide curbside pickup and dropoff of your family records (Weber, Davis, Wasatch, Utah, and Salt Lake Counties)
- Include a one-year subscription to a Kindex Cloud or Closet Archive ($60-$120 value!) Learn more about our archive features.
- Process and load all digitized records to your Kindex archive
- Provide a flash drive backup of all digitized records
- Create a custom “How To” video to help you get started
Ready to go? Contact us using the link below to take advantage of this offer.
Have more questions? Keep reading.
FAQ
- Who provides the banker’s box?
You may use any standard size banker’s box you have. Banker’s boxes can be ordered from office supply stores.
- What type of records can Kindex scan?
Photos, letters, diaries, documents, and scrapbooks. If there are documents that require special handling, such as fragile or oversize documents, or a large number of bound volumes, an additional fee will apply. If you wish to digitize film, slides, audio, and video, these items can be quoted separately.
- What scanning standards does Kindex follow?
a. We scan photos at 600 DPI and documents at 300 DPI. Higher or lower res files can be provided upon request (additional fee may apply).
b. We can provide both PDF and JPG file formats. PDF files are generally optimized for size and faster loading. Additional formats, such as TIFF, can be provided upon request (additional fee will apply).
c. Processing digitized records includes (when applicable): rotation, cropping, standard color correction, combining related scans, and naming each file using an agreed-upon nomenclature. For example, scanned letter pages will be combined into a single PDF file. Custom file correction available upon request.
- Can Kindex scan more that one box?
We can offer one Box Special per household at the promo price of $299. Additional Box Specials are $599.
- When will my Box Special be complete?
Turnaround is typically four weeks, but we may require additional time depending on schedule.
- What if I need time to gather my records?
As long as we start on your Box Special in 2020, you’re good to go!
For questions about the Box Special, or to get started, contact us using the the link below.
Share & Index Publicly
Unlimited records
Unlimited Collaborators
/MONTH
$0/month with
Kindex Rewards
Invite-only
Unlimited records
Unlimited collaborators
/MONTH
$5/month with
Kindex Rewards
Get a searchable archive fast with a custom scanning & archive bundle!
1-Year Cloud or Closet Archive
+ Scanning
by Cathy Gilmore | Mar 24, 2020 | Features, Software
Over the past several months we’ve rolled out many new and improved features for our Kindex archive owners and Kindexers. Here’s a summary of what’s new.
1. “Not Indexed” View
Now it’s easier for you and your indexers to find records that need to be indexed. Click on the Not Indexed button to see only records that have either 1) not been started, or 2) are in progress and not complete.
2. Searchable Record Info
We expanded our searchable record info to include the Keyword and Provenance fields. The Title, Description, and Transcription fields were already included in search results.

3. Increased Record Size Limit
In order to accommodate larger record sizes, we increased our file size limit from 15 MB to 25 MB.
Note: Uploading batches of records that include a high number of large files is not recommended.
4. Expanded Archive Stats
In the Manage Archive tool, Overview tab, we’ve added a more detailed set of archive information that tells you how many records have been added and indexed in your billing period. You can also see your Reward Status to find out how close you are to earning a $5 indexing credit.
5. Expanded accepted file types to accept MP3 Audio files
6. Expanded Text Editor Buttons

Text editor button functions
 |
Record Info |
View and edit the record’s Title, Record Type, Category, Person, Description, Keywords, Provenance, and Date |
 |
Undo |
Undo your last action |
 |
Redo |
Redo your last action |
 |
Strikethrough |
Format transcription to match strikethrough text in original. Highlight word or phrase and click the Strikethrough button. |
 |
Underline |
Format transcription to match underlined text in original. Highlight word or phrase and click the Strikethrough button. |
 |
Inline note |
Use when record has text inserted within a line. Highlight the text above the line and click the inline note tool. |
 |
Marginal Note |
Use for notes written in the margin or otherwise not part of the flow of the document. Marginal notes appear as footnotes within the record. Highlight the text above the line and click the inline note tool. |
 |
Image |
For records that contain images, or for records such as photos, use the image tool to add a description of the image within the transcription. Images are numbered in the case of multiple images on a page (as found in scrapbooks). You may also delete an image description box. |
 |
lllegible text |
Use when you are unable to transcribe a word or phrase. To mark an area that has illegible text, place your cursor where the text should be and click the illegible text button. |
 |
Table |
Add a table to organize your transcription data |
 |
Page Break |
To add a page break, click this button. |
 |
Bold |
New! Bold text. |
 |
Italic |
New! Italicize text. |
 |
Indent |
New! Indent paragraph. |
 |
Outdent |
New! Outdent paragraph. |
 |
Align |
New! Change paragraph alignment. |
 |
Bullet |
New! Make a bulleted list. |
 |
Numbering |
New! Make a numbered list. |
 |
Help |
Click the Help button to get indexing helps and guidelines. |
Bug Fixes
- Fixed bug that prevented admins from deleting files.
- Improved transcription field capacity to accommodate large transcription content.
- Fixed bug that prevented admins from deleting Collaborators.
by Cathy Gilmore | Oct 17, 2019 | Features
Over the past few years we’ve observed the increasingly prominent role stories have played in helping people engage with family history. During 2016, Steve Rockwood, president and CEO of FamilySearch International, revealed how FamilySearch is changing the way they engage people in family history. Starting with stories—rather than names, dates, and charts—turns the traditional family tree model upside down and offers an inviting approach for users who crave a more emotional connection. Steve Rockwood, as quoted in the Ancestry Insider, said:
“We are concentrating on how everyone can experience and feel those emotions.” By giving them immediate, emotional experiences, FamilySearch hopes they then engage in family history. FamilySearch decided to concentrate on stories. “We are serious” [about this change]. Steve said. “We changed our logo, our entire branding.” The FamilySearch logo now looks like a set of picture frames. FamilySearch starts people with photos, audio recordings, anything that anyone can participate in. That makes it an exciting world of change. “Now, more and more people are getting involved in this thing called family history.” For example, FamilySearch has seen a 47% increase in young people involved in family history. [1]
Later in 2016, he repeated the emphasis on stories. Upon learning that only 2 percent of LDS church members responded to the call to do family history when they were told, “here’s a chart; here’s a record; here’s a computer”, they changed their approach. As blogger Lynn Broderick wrote in Steve Rockwood asks: Where’s your Jerusalem?:
“…FamilySearch decided to “turn the model upside down. [FamilySearch is] going to start with stories.” Stories are not a “niche” like genealogy. Memories and photos are a place where “all the people on the earth” can participate. This is an area that attracts more young, single adults and statistics show a greater participation by the millennials.”[2]
However, such changes are not always met with enthusiasm by traditional genealogists who adhere to strict standards of proof, accuracy, and source citations. Stories without sources are, after all, just stories.
But is there a different way to look at this disconnect? Can stories be both emotional and accurately sourced? While stories often function as the broad gate by which many people enter family history, they are not a substitute for accurate research and use of best practices. But are stories and narrative-based family history really incompatible with traditional genealogy research? As Tony Proctor explains in his post Evolution and Genealogy, narrative-based genealogy can unite both storytelling and sound genealogy practice:
“…[I] presented a view of narrative genealogy that embraced story telling, narrative reports, proof arguments, and transcription (of both old and new material). I believe that this seamless inclusion is necessary for useful genealogy, and for micro-history in general.”[3]
The inclusion of stories, accompanied with relevant sources and transcriptions, is not only helpful, but necessary when creating genealogies. The key, as always, lies in the source. Primary source records like letters, journals, and similar documents are the holy grail of stories. In truth, they are the story.
When properly sourced, stories can play a key role in genealogy research. But so often, these sources are elusive and unsearchable. Whether hidden away in closets or filed in an archives, family records are one of the most underdeveloped and at-risk resources family historians and genealogists have.
One of the primary purposes of Kindex is to elevate family records to a key role in both storytelling and sound research. By indexing records, they become accessible and readable by anyone who knows how to search. And let’s face it, searching—and not reading—is the default way we find things, especially youth. By removing barriers that prevent us from accessing and reading family records, we can place sourceable stories at our fingertips.
There are other applications beyond stories. Through the addition of transcriptions, tagging, and macro-data, records are elevated in their usefulness and purpose. For professionals and casual researchers alike, records with linkable data are invaluable in their ability to connect records to other databases and family trees. This connectivity will someday make it just as easy for families to cite a family record to their tree, as it is to cite a birth or death record.
Additionally, transcribed and tagged records can be scaled to many applications, including historical research, book publishing (i.e., The Joseph Smith Papers), and limitless after-market products such as maps, timelines, and other creative works. By putting families in control of their own archives, they can choose how to apply and make available their own records.
Through the search and application of primary source records, Kindex provides a solution that both genealogists and storytellers can agree on: that the best source is an original source. Perhaps it’s not enough to turn the family history model upside down—we must also turn it inside out, and get to the source of our history. What a gift it will be for us, and the generations that follow.
_____________________________
[1] Turning the Model Upside Down. (2016, 07 27). Retrieved February 2 , 2017, from Ancestry Insider: http://www.ancestryinsider.org/2016/07/turning-model-upside-down-byugen-byufhgc.html
[2] Broderick, L. (2016, 11 1). Steve Rockwood Asks “Where’s Your Jerusalem?”. Retrieved 2 2, 2017, from Family Search Blog: https://familysearch.org/blog/en/steve-rockwood-asks-wheres-jerusalem/
[3] Proctor, T. (2016, 02 12). Evolution and Genealogy. Retrieved 02 02, 2017, from Parallax View: http://parallax-viewpoint.blogspot.com/2016/02/evolution-and-genealogy.html
by Cathy Gilmore | Sep 10, 2018 | Features
Kindex Co-founder Cathy Gilmore presented “Hoarder to Order: a Step-by-Step Family Record Rescue” at RootsTech 2018. This presentation examines why records are at risk, discusses obstacles to family record preservation, and gives a step-by-step overview of how record-keepers can rescue their family records. We will be sharing excerpts from her presentation on the Kindex blog.
In Part I of our Hoarder to Order series, we asked “Am I my Brothers (Record) Keeper?” and discussed the imporant role of family record rescuers. If you are one of those heroes committed to rescuing records, it may be difficult to know where to start. Knowing the risks that face family records helps us prioritize and understand what it means to truly rescue a record. Let’s start by stating the risks, identifying reasons why this happens, and how we can help.
Risk #1: Permanent Record Loss
Risk Factors
|
Result
|
How We Rescue
|
Death Downsizing Relocation Record owner has mental or physical challenges |
Records are thrown out |
Take an inventory of family records to know who has what |
Let’s start with every record-keeper’s biggest nightmare right out of the gate: Records get thrown away. This risk is at its greatest when a family member dies, moves, or is purging their belongings. The presence of mental or physical challenges can often prevent record owners knowing how to keep and care for records. As a record rescuer, your job is to discover who has what records through conducting a basic inventory. Conducting a family record inventory is the first, crucial step in a record rescue. But what are the remaining risks?
Risk #2: Temporary Record Loss
Risk Factors
|
Result
|
How We Rescue
|
Changes of record ownership (records passed down through generations) Hoarding, disorganization |
Records are lost or misplaced |
Update inventory & gather records (where possible) |
If you’ve kept your family record inventory updated, and gathered records (where possible) to prevent record loss, well done! But what are the remaining risks?
Risk #3: Record Damage
Risk Factors
|
Result
|
How We Rescue
|
Records exist in original state only (not scanned or digitized) Improper storage or handling Records are exposed to, or at high risk for natural disaster (fire, flood, etc.) |
Records are damaged |
Digitize records and ensure physcial reocrds are properly stored |
So you’ve done an inventory, gathered records to prevent record loss, and digitized your records. Great! Is your job done? What are the remaining risks?
Risk #4: Inaccessible records
Risk Factors
|
Result
|
How We Rescue
|
Records scattered among multiple owners Single owner, “Silo mentality” Donated with restrictions |
Records can’t be accessed |
Share digitized records on common platform |
Most responsible record-keepers have digitized their records. But how accessible are they? Do you work in a silo? How do other family members know your records exist?
If uou’ve kept your records, know where they are, scanned them, and made them accessible, are there any other risks? We’ve learned that making records accessible is not the end of the line. If your family cannot easily connect to and share records, there will be a record disconnect.
Risk #5: Record disconnect
Risk Factors
|
Result
|
How We Rescue
|
Unindexed records
Records that seem irrelevant, unimportant
Records in unsearchable, undiscoverable databases
Records that are handwritten or hard to read Difficulty extracting meaningful stories
|
Records Disconnect |
Transform your records in ways that make them shareable and connectable.
Make records completely searchable Provide a platform for simple record engagement and research
|
What is record disconnect, and why is it a risk? Because no matter how much work you put into gathering, digitizing and sharing records, if your family can’t connect with them in a meaningful way, they will remain unimportant and therefore at risk of being perpetuated. When is a record truly considered rescued? When it’s accessible, searchable, and relevant to your family.
How at risk are your family records?
In reviewing risk factors for family records, have you identified what records are most at risk in your family? Do you have an elderly family member reputed to have many family records. Is someone in your family preparing to downsize? Being aware of family situations helps us prioritize an overwhelming task by beginning where the need is most urgent. Stay tuned for Part III of our Hoarder to Order series, we will start our record rescue in earnest with record inventory and gathering.