My name is Farane Zaidi, and I am currently pursuing a Master of Information Studies at McGill University. I have always been deeply interested in archival work and historical preservation. This summer, I had the incredible privilege of putting those passions into practice by working with the 78th Fraser Highlanders historical society. I am thankful for the generous donation of Mrs. Mary K. Wemp, who, through the Bryce Internship Award, funded my internship and made this dream possible.
Military history holds a deeply personal significance for me. My grandfather was a two-time war veteran, and growing up, I was captivated by his stories. I cherish the memories of him sharing with me old photographs and letters he had kept from his time in service. This is where my deep interest in preserving the history of those who came before us first developed. I was particularly drawn to the 78th Fraser Highlanders internship after learning more about their association and ongoing work. Over the last three years, the 78th Fraser Highlanders created the Descendancy Project, a digital archival project that records the servicemen of the regiment and their descendants. This is something I instantly knew I wanted to be a part of.
A large part of my responsibilities as an intern this summer was to create a user-friendly guide for navigating the database and promoting public accessibility. This guide was made to include a wide range of tools designed to help users search through the website with ease, such as step-by-step introductory guides, scenarios, and search examples modeled on real questions users are likely to have. It also implements a variety of media (text, videos, PDFs, annotated images, etc) to meet different learning styles and preferences. The guide also includes complementary resources, including a military terminology table, an FAQ, an additional resources section, a citation guide, and a Google Form to allow users to submit their own ancestor’s information. The entire guide is designed with future updates in mind and made to be expanded upon.
Creating this guide wasn’t always very straightforward. I had to teach myself how to properly navigate the website’s database and use recording and video editing software. I often faced technical difficulties, but managed to solve them through much trial, error, and caffeine in my system. This ultimately strengthened my skills in digital content creation. Additionally, my academic background as an MLIS student informed my approach, grounding the work in best practices from archival studies, genealogy, and historical research. I applied my knowledge of research concepts such as Boolean searching and record analysis and translated them into clear, plain-language explanations to ensure the database is accessible to researchers of all skill levels.
Another key part of my role involved transcribing and cataloguing records from the New York State Archives, as well as helping my fellow intern in cataloguing materials from the Connecticut Colonial Archives. Together, we created three new collections in the Descendancy Project database to showcase these records. We also made sure to link corresponding servicemen entries to the records using tags and unique identifiers. This was a highlight of the internship for me as I had the opportunity to work closely with 18th-century documents and gain glimpses into the lives of the Highlanders beyond their military service. It was also challenging at times, as many of the documents were difficult to read due to illegibility or faded ink, but ended up being a great exercise in deciphering 18th-century handwriting. Plus, it was rewarding (and amusing) once we did piece the stories together. Many of the Connecticut records, for example, were complaints from townsfolk regarding Colonel Fraser’s failure to pay for his accommodations. While entertaining to read today, I can only imagine how frustrated these men must have been at the time. It certainly shows in their letters!
