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Volunteers

IMFA is devoted primarily, of course, to a one-name surname study. As such, IMFA members research the family history and genealogy of any person with a varient of the Mx surname. Thus, IMFA is interested in any reference to the Mx surname in any historical era and in any geographical location.

IMFA has grown to over 200 members worldwide since 1986 because our members generously donate their time, knowledge, experience and their unique skills to find, share, analyze and present information about the Mx surname. Many have also shared their DNA.

Volunteer efforts fill 28 pages of MxWorld every quarter, as well as the pages of IMFA’s Wiki, Blog, this website and IMFA’s MxDNA project.

How can you help?

Once you’ve joined IMFA, and shared your own family lineage, there are many volunteer opportunities. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Join IMFA’s DNA project if you are a male with a Mx surname, or if you’re a woman, sponsor a male Mx relative.
  • Send us a biography of your ancestors, add photos, maps, scans of cemetery internment. IMFA will publish in MxWorld, then archive your article at the website.
  • If you are fortunate enough to have Bible records, wills, deeds, letters or diaries, share digital copies and transcriptions with IMFA. Often these records offer collateral names that prove very useful, for example, in differentiating one John or Thomas or William Mx from another.
  • Consider joining our teams of volunteers who help other members with specific research questions. Members may request research help through a link on the Discussion page, and IMFA always needs additional volunteers to help answer specific questions.
  • IMFA would like to share the family lineages of deceased members. One way to achieve this is typing the lineage into a genealogical software program and sending the gedcom file to our web administrator.
  • Promote IMFA’s MxDNA project at local family reunions. Promote membership in IMFA – because more members mean more potential family connections between members.
  • When trying out new websites, search for alternate surname spellings – and if you get hits – send IMFA a link so the website can be added to our Resources page. Websites offering digital images of original documents are the most valuable and IMFA wants to keep it’s listing as current, and thus as useful, as possible.
  • If you live close to an archive, record repository or genealogical library and can offer legwork, please consider volunteering - IMFA will create a list of such on-site research volunteers.
  • Perhaps you have creative ideas about promotion – for example, getting IMFA’s name in a local newspaper or local genealogical publication. IMFA welcomes your ideas.
  • Monitoring websites like Find-A-Grave.com for newly uploaded photos of Mxs. Find a newly loaded grave record or headstone marker, and send IMFA the link.
  • Abstracting obituaries. Often obits are still under copyright, but we can abstract/extract the facts and cite the website link or the source of the print copy of the original.
  • Social networking: Is this an area of expertise of yours – to keep the work of IMFA updated on sites like Facebook and Twitter? Join our Discussion page. Start topics on IMFA’s Forums, and suggest topics for the Blog. Reflections and our Wiki.
  • Join our Discussion page. Start topics on IMFA’s Forums, and suggest topics for the Blog, Reflections and our Wiki.
  • IMFA always needs writers, researchers and typists. Equally important are your ideas to increase the value added of MxWorld, our Blog & Wiki and our DNA pages to your own research.