You wish to take part in projects of the State Archives? In fact, you can analyse from home various archive documents containing millions of datasets about our ancestors and feed these information to our databases. In order to simplify the analysis of documents and to smoothen the input of data, the State Archives puts a software titled “Demogen Visu” at your disposal.
How to participate in the “Demogen” project?
Register at http://demogen.arch.be
Once you have installed the Demogen Visu software, you can download and edit various digitised documents. The archival documents are shown at the top of the screen, while information and data are introduced in the lower part. The software is fitted with different tools for easy data input: automatic conversion from French Republican Calendar to Gregorian calendar dates, input of shortened municipality names, etc.
An Internet connection is required to download the software and the document bundles, but not for data input.
As a Demogenist (user of Demogen Visu), you can choose from different work bundles from a number of provinces and municipalities. You can also indicate the municipalities whose available documents you would like to analyse.
Search engine Search persons
All data introduced via the Demogen software are made available to the public for free via the search engine Search persons.
The search engine Search persons is a central research instrument in which all analyses of archive documents are collected (civil status registers, church registers, notarial deeds, etc.). This central database is intended to simplifying your individual research and it guarantees the long-lasting valorisation and uniform conservation of the work of the countless volunteers in the course ofthe years.
You have gathered information from civil status registers and church registers and would like to share them with a broad public? Feel free to contact the Digitisation Service of the State Archives via e-mail to digita@arch.be.
