History of the use of microfilm/fishe in genealogy

Good morning list,

Just wondering if anyone is able to point me in the direction of a
history of the use of microfilm/fishe in genealogy? What I'm after is
articles or anecdotal evidence of its first use in genealogy, by whom,
and why ...

Denis Beauregard...

find some early microfilm. You should get some line like:

Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah,
1971

This should tell you when LDS begun microfilming.

To compare, Drouin Genealogical Institute microfilmed most parishes
in Quebec and in some other area (you can see the online catalogue

If you can't find LDS microfilm before 1940, this would mean the
challenge is the Drouin microfilms, otherwise it would be the LDS.

Microfilming was more expensive at that time. I think the cost for
about 2,000 microfilms was about 1.5 M (CAN$ but you can approximate
to the same in $US), about 750$ for one reel in 1940.

Hugh Watkins...

In USA some census? records were filmed then destroyed
US NARA

unfortunatley much of the film is almost unreadable

Hugh W

With thanks
Kylie Veale

singhals...

There's a subtle distinction you need to clarify though. As early as
the 1920s, in the US, certain things were being filmed for research or
archival purposes. SOME of that material is useable for genealogical
purposes. So, does your question refer to material specifically filmed
for genealogical purposes or to any material that COULD be used by
genealogists?

I believe the first LDS microfilms were immediately post-World War II.
The earliest one I've used was dated 1949.