Building a Family Tree - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

Bastard Child - Research Back - Hints & Tips

familycollins — 26 Nov 2008 7:19:28 GMT

Hi,

My Family name is Collins and I have a Bastard Child Thomas Collins b1825 Heptonstall Yorkshire England.

I have the Basatady Order so I now know the Father is a William Thomas from Stansfield, would you continue to research the Fathers line ?

Also the mother was Jane Collins can you give some tips on how to research back on her line, I cannot find anything in the IGI or Census about her.

Thanks

Dave

2nd marriage not showing as spouse AAUGH!

tante33 — 26 Sep 2008 3:24:50 GMT

Every single person I have added show they are still married to their divorced spouse and the current one is below the 'old' one. If I delete one, then add again, they stay put, but then I add a source and many times it wants to take over the other marriage entry, then overtakes the 'spouse' position again. What the HECK am I doing wrong? I've searched for an answer to this, and came up empty. Can a spouse be moved to the proper position? Brand new...only a week...so I have a lot to learn, but so far this is the biggest problem. Thanks for reading, and hope someone can help.

To add or not to add to my tree?

hysteriagrl — 4 Aug 2008 12:42:38 GMT

OK my parents were each other's 2nd marriages. Would I necessarily need to add their first spouses? I have half-siblings through my dad but does that mean his 1st wife is related to me in any way? And I am my mother's only child... so what would be a good enough reason to add her 1st husband to my tree? To me "just because" isn't enough.

how do I show my name?

kennethlarmstrong — 13 Oct 2008 3:35:19 GMT

Hello,

I was originally born a Wallace. However when I was 6 years old my stepfather adopted me and changed my last name to Armstrong, so on my family tree I have my last name showing as Armstrong.

So in order to prevent confusion for future generations, how do I need to show my last name on my family tree? Do I need to put my original last name in parenthesis or brackets? Something like this:

----- WALLACE
|
(WALLACE) ARMSTRONG----|
|
----- PALMER

What is the proper way to do this?

How do you merge someones elses tree to your tree? and how do you merge duplicates together within your onw tree

tonyclem — 11 Oct 2008 11:06:02 GMT

I am at a loss and my eyes are killing me and a good easy answer would be great. BTW: I am using the website tree builder.

Yikes....Am I related to my Wife?

GEMalone — 25 Sep 2008 9:14:21 GMT

Here's how...but can you help me to determine the relationship?

Glenn E. Malone (Me)
→
William G.(Bill) Malone
your father
→
Vera Malone
his mother
→
Harry Brumbaugh
her father
→
John Brumbaugh
his father
→
Abraham "Abe" Brumbaugh
his father
→
Daniel Brumbaugh
his father
→
William Brumbaugh
his father
→
Johann "Jockel" Brumbaugh
his father
→
Conrad Brumbaugh
his brother
→
Daniel Brumbaugh
his son
→
George Brumbaugh
his son
→
Sara Ann Robertson
his daughter
→
Temperance "Lizzie" Brokaw
her 2 daughters
→
Sara Fay White (Brokaw)
her daughter & my fifth cousin thrice removed
&
Mary May Hamllik (Brokaw)
her daughter & my fifth cousin thrice removed
(Mary May & Sara Fay are sisters)

In my wife's family:
Tamara Elizabeth Malone (Hamllik)
my wife
→
William Hamllik
her father
→
Jesse "Bill" Hamllik
his father
→
John Hamllik (married Estella Hamllik (White)mention below)
his father
→
Thomas H. Hamllik
his brother
→
Married
Mary May Hamllik (Brokaw)
my fifth cousin thrice removed mentioned above

and

Tamara Elizabeth Malone (Hamllik)
my wife
→
William Hamllik
her father
→
Jesse "Bill" Hamllik
his father
→
Estella Hamllik (White)
his mother
→
John Allen White
her brother
→
Sara Fay White (Brokaw)
my fifth cousin thrice removed mentioned above

Can anyone tell me how to find out how we are related...or are we?

Genetic Conflict w/ Physical Records

rweaver21977 — 13 Sep 2008 1:49:47 GMT

My family tree has a conflict, the records say one thing (grandparent and her brothers and sisters are child of one individual) and family says it's not accurate although they carry the last name, he wasn't their father, it was because their mother didn't believe in remarriage until the death of your spouse and several of them got the name of the person she was married to rather than the name of their father.

What is standard practice? Do you follow the papertrail or follow the genetics? The people are still alive, so this isn't second hand its direct from the mouth of the children.

Can you help me go beyond my great-grandparents?

andrewgardner1 — 21 Dec 2002 7:17:49 GMT

Can someone help a newby to genealogy? I've been able to find out where (upstate New York) and when (they were all born in the first decade of the 20th C) my grandparents were born and the names of my great-grandparents from the SSDI and death certificates. What is the easiest way to get beyond this? Right now, I'm just interested in going straight up the tree and don't really need to know about siblings of my direct ancestors. Can someone out there give me some advice? Thank you in advance!

Building Help

vafireqt30 — 4 Aug 2008 12:22:15 GMT

Ok, I have alot of info to start tree. And will be starting with family from late 1800's but now what if i find family from earlier than that. Will it automatically add it in order on my tree for me bfore the dates I started with? I know what I am trying to ask but hope it comes out right.

How do you trace family who were born in England & Ireland but move to Jamaica

peejones — 2 Jul 2008 1:26:13 GMT

I am from Jamaica living in London:My GreatGreatgranmother I found was born in Dover England and Greatgreatgrandfather was born in Ireland.Idont know where to start looking for a UK link.
My Irish name is Hopwood and English is Ireland

I have also a GreatGreatGreatgrandfather with Welsh Links but I cant trace his link as his detail were not on his son's detail> Looking for Jones

No USA before 1776

rundehel — 25 May 2008 6:27:50 GMT

Since I've delving into my family research last year for the first time, I'd came across several American ancestors in the colonial period, whom been documented with places of birth and death ending with the "USA" or "United States" before 1776. As a constitutional/national name, the United States of America did not become official until the Second Continental Congress of 1777 adopted and finalized it for the Articles of Confederation in 15 November 1777. However, the Declaration of Independence in July of 1776 made officially an union of 13 American colonies as an united 13 states of America.

So, there was no United States of America before July 1776, only 13 British provinces (colonies) in the eastern seaboard of North America.

I think it is important to document colonial-era American ancestors having been born and died in the years before 1776, in places only identified by the colonies' provincial titles in America. You can add "USA" or "United States" to ancestors' places of birth and death in the years after July 1776.

This is just a suggestion, not a requirement. It's really up to you to do as you would like for your American ancestors. To me, it's just plain common sense to follow historic events and official, recognized titles/names of certain places.

First Cousin 8X Removed?

DBHunter7 — 23 Apr 2008 4:42:30 GMT

Hello,

I'm putting together a family tree. It says that I'm First Cousins 8x Removed from George Washington. Is that possible? I've gone over the definitions, and can't figure it out.

Thank you,
Ben

How do I create a family tree using birth parents lineage?

vbwagner33 — 16 Apr 2008 4:34:04 GMT

I haven't really seen this topic addressed. In my late 30's I searched and found my birth parents. I then became interested in my lineage and began the genealogy journey. I'm not interested in creating a family tree based on my adoptive parents family. This is about my true lineage. My question is how to indicate my parents weren't married? Sore subject, but the truth. When creating a family tree, the assumption is that my father was my mother's husband. Any suggestions?

General : Project management

karyanca — 18 Apr 2008 6:02:26 GMT

This is a broad question, but how do you manage a particular genealogy project? I already posted a question with regard to specific software, but in general, how do you:

* track progress toward a specific high level goal (e.g. document vitals for x generations of ancestors)

* based on smaller goals (e.g. get death certificate for great-grandma Jane Smith)

* and even smaller interrelated tasks (e.g. learn name at time of death, learn place and date of death, apply for death certificate)?

Do you integrate it into your genealogy software using notes or to-do lists? Do you use separate software? Is it all on paper?

Some genealogy software seems to be good at tracking work done (searching a particular census, parish records, etc.) but not the big picture.

how to list when families take children in

atlargeinthewrld — 19 Feb 2008 9:08:06 GMT

Two of my grandmother's cousins were raised by her parents, basically as siblings. They were both orphaned and my great-grandparents took them in. Since they weren't technically adopted, and I don't want to leave out their parents just because they died young, is there a way to list them under both their birth parents and the parents who raised them?

I'm using the free tree maker and I can only find the "note of adoption" option.

Need info from Gilbert Doane's "Searching....."

mas3950 — 17 Mar 2008 1:36:39 GMT

I loaned out my book and it was never returned. I am in need of the chart numbering system outlined by Doane. It had something to do with...from (on a 5 gen chart) person #1 thru #8... continued on chart #....; Doane had a numbering system that used an indiviudal's ancestor number linking to the continuation chart. Sorry if this seems confusing, but I am trying to help my 5th grade granddaughter chart her father's family and I forgot how Doane explained this. Thanks in advance to anyone who provides the answer! Dianne

Citation format?

ravensbeak — 16 Mar 2008 5:54:44 GMT

I don't have a copy of Evidence! handy. Would someone check to see if there's a proper or recommended format for citing a burial or interment record? I'm talking about the paper record the cemetery has of each interment.

Searching Birth Records

meprince1975 — 30 Jan 2008 10:40:45 GMT

What do you do when you know a person was born in a particular state in a particular year but when you try and do a search, you come up with nothing? Is there another way to find this information rather than on this website? I am pretty new to this type of research. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help.

downloading gedcom files

Sjstrube — 2 Feb 2008 8:56:45 GMT

I have been trying for a couple days now to download my family tree to a file on my computer. I was told to make sure it was in a gedcom form. I cant seem to do it even though I have read and reread the instructions on how. Can anyone send a little insight to the issue.

Listing birthplaces when the name of the country has changed

jasonrose77 — 13 Jan 2008 3:51:26 GMT

What's the proper protocol when listing a location that is now know by a different name?

For instance, an ancestor was from Riga, in the former European kingdom of Courland. At the time of her birth, it was briefly part of Russia. Before and afterward it was an independant state. Now it the captitol of Latvia.

Do I list Riga as being located in Courland, Russia, or Latvia?

There's are also several ancebtors from similarly defunct countries like Wuttumburg, Hesse-Darmstadt, and Prussia,

How Many Cousins to Include?

remarshall68 — 3 Jan 2008 4:17:22 GMT

I was just wondering how many cousins most people include in their trees. Do you include second, third, fourth, etc., cousins? Do you stop at a certain level or include everyone you have information on?

Pets

jeremyrabbott — 26 Dec 2007 8:47:05 GMT

I recently adopted Lilly, an 8-wk old full-breed female Great Dane puppy. Like most pet owners, our pets are part of our family. Has anyone added pets into their Family Trees, and if so; how.

Relative with multiple names

kmccormick21 — 14 Dec 2007 11:42:53 GMT

My grandmother was born illegitimately in Oklahoma, but her fathers name (McAuliffe) is in Birth Certificate, she was raised by her mother's family as another daughter (Ketchum) till her mother died. The family then gave her to her father who promptly took her to a Indian Orphanage in White Cloud, Kansas where she was eventually adopted my the Huffman family.
So when I list her names, do I need to rotate between alternate names or will the search engine look under all names?
Thanks in advance for any help!!

Surname or no Surname, that is my question...

calrivethed — 13 Dec 2007 3:48:02 GMT

My issue, since I like accurate data, is how to list an entry. Let's use William III de Warrene for example. Now, is De Warrene considered a Surname, or a Suffix? and if it is a suffix, what of the "III".

What is the Genealogy communities treatment, as a whole? I notice several "Family history sites" that DO list "de Warrene" as a Surname, but sometimes these individuals births and/or deaths would Pre-date the use of Surnames.

I am torn, with some of my entries treatin this as a "presurname" and a "surename" (de as presurname, Warenne as surname). but if I find the entry anglicized, i.e., of Warrene, I toss the bit in as a Suffix. (i.e., no surname, of Warrene as Suffix).

NOw I am torn between rethinking and re-composing this question. But I will leave it as is and hope my ultimate intention is understood.....

help?...

WORKSHEET

eyesbydrs1 — 31 Oct 2007 3:35:48 GMT

DOES ANYONE KNOW OF A GOOD SOURCE F0R A WORKSHEET TO PRINT OUT TO FILL IN WHILE RESEARCHING A FAMILY GROUP? IN OTHER WORDS TO PRINT OUT A BLANK ONE AND FILL OUT MOTHER, FATHER, CHILDREN, BIRTH DATES, ETC.

What facts should I enter in....?

ImAnAngel0686 — 9 Dec 2007 4:03:42 GMT

I have been adopted and I am working on my family tree. I'm not worried about how to document the adoption, but what I don't know is what facts should I make notes of. I have made note already of my date of adoption and the date I actually came home to live with my adoptive family,; but other than that I don't know what facts I should make a note of. I want to put this tree together so that my kids and their kids will be able to look back and under stand the facts and if they wanted to do their own family tree they would already have this information.

WHERE DO I GO???

yohyohy — 21 Nov 2007 4:05:15 GMT

HELLO,is there someone who can tell me where i can get a copy of my grans wedding cert that will also give me details of her parents marriage ect.i have been told to try scotlands people.gov? but cant seem to figure it all out.is it safe to order them online or by post? thnx jacki b

HELP NEEDED TO WORK OUT FAMILY CONNECTIONS!!

TeamOwen — 28 Oct 2007 9:41:54 GMT

Can anyone please tell me the "formula" for working out relationships within a family! For example, a brother and sister both have descendants, so, the first generations are first cousin to each other but I am stuck after that! All this first cousin several times removed has me completely baffled! How do you work it out?? Many thanks for any help!

Vol and Page No.

Anubis001 — 14 Oct 2007 1:24:06 GMT

Hi all
Im very new to researching the family Im doing Mine and The Wife's My Surname is SINFIELD and my wife's maiden name is HARRISON.
I now have A number of Vol. and Page no's. but what do ido next where do I go

thanks for time and help
Regards
Robert William Sinfield

Naturalization/Emigrant Name Changes

LarryPeterson1950 — 30 Aug 2007 9:45:36 GMT

I just found out my grandfather Peterson's birth & baptismal name. How do I include his birth name in my family tree records with his naturalized name?

Any advice is appreciated.

Larry

How do I start

emmanuele_aggiano — 4 Oct 2007 3:10:15 GMT

Hello everyone
As you have guessed im new to the site.Could anyone one help me get started to find out about my ansesters.I come from Italy and so does my farther my mother was british.I have quite a big family in Italy but noone really knows about our family past.I have a few names and dates but that is all and I know my grandfather went to the usa in 1948.I now live in england with my wife and 2 children.Any help would be great.Thank you

brothers married sisters double lines in my tree help!!!

heartsstorm2002 — 2 Oct 2007 3:14:16 GMT

I have 2 sisters that married 2 brothers and when i go down each of the lines and put the info in i wind up with all of them and their kids in twice. is there anyway to do this other than this way? I dont mind the double work as much as when i print all this out it is going to be double for those family lines.all of the kids and their lines will be double for both sets.

Residence at birth or literal city of birth?

krmtexas — 4 Oct 2007 2:55:08 GMT

New to geneology here...

For family members in our area they have driven to the nearest hospital which is in another city and county to have their baby. So, for the baby, should we put the residence or the actual city they were born in? I can see reasoning for both. What does everyone else do?

Where now with my Genealogy?

Jamesosb — 23 Aug 2007 11:48:22 GMT

Hi there! I'm English and trying to discover who my great Granddad was... However i only have a brief name and the fact that he was in the military (as well as the name of his Kids etc.) I'm wondering where to go next?

LOST CHILDREN

yohyohy — 25 Sep 2007 11:32:07 GMT

HI THERE.CAN ANYONE TELL ME, I, LIKE MANY OF US, HAVE FOUND CHILDREN BORN TO PARENTS ONLY TO DIE YOUNG.BUT CANT SEEM TO FIND ANY OTHER DETAILS AS WHERE OR HOW.SOMETIMES OTHER RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND THEM BY ACCIDENT.HOW CAN I GET THIS INFO. OR SHOULD I JUST SAY THAT THERE INST ANYTHING?MMMMMMM THNX JACKI

Possible unusual relationship

jinnocenzi — 7 Jul 2007 3:47:28 GMT

Sorry, but the background is necessary to understand the relationship question:

I recently discovered that a Robert McClung married a Mary Coburn in PA in 1757.

John McClung is my 8th great-grandfather. John McClung would be about the same age as Robert.

James Coburn is my husband's 6th great-grandfather. James would be about the same age as Mary.

Hypothetical: If John and Robert McClung were brothers and
if James and Mary were siblings,

Question: What would the relationship be between me and my husband?

Do you need specific lines to figure it out? E.g. Me, mother, father, father, father, etc.

Thanks!

Janice

family records, advice please

sandy02860 — 30 Jul 2007 3:37:53 GMT

Hi there,
i've been researching my family tree for 8 yrs now, one of things that gets me so frustrated is the dreaded brick walls that seems to be on my grandfather's side of the family, i would like to know how can i get the info i needed if nobody doesn't know about their grandparents on their fathers side?. i have gone to the library i've have written to the vital records requesting for a birth certficate death certficate and the courthouse for any records, church records of marriage that they might have and i get is "there's no record"

Preferred method of citing/sourcing a human being rather than a document?

songofruth2002 — 12 Jul 2007 2:02:17 GMT

When someone tells you something, what would be the best way to set up the source info? The source/citation forms see aimed at document.

And what 2nd hand sources? For instance, I have in possession a piece of paper my aunt L.W. provided me. On it she has detailed information from a conversation she had with her Aunt M.L. in 1982.

I can't find my parents even though I know their birthdays

terrywhite211 — 6 Aug 2007 8:32:05 GMT

I've searched for both of my parents who were born in 1932 and 1937 respectively (and are still alive...) and I can't find them anywhere. Any thoughts as to why this is happening ?

Help regarding out-of-wedlock

sarah_sweetie — 12 Jul 2007 11:32:44 GMT

Hi... How can I (Kenyon) show that my parents were not married? It shows my mother (Kenyon) as my father's (Gaines) "spouse", but this is not the case. Is there even a way?

Thanks!

How to obtain a birth record

harrisongk1 — 6 Jun 2007 1:41:39 GMT

Hello,
I've just started researching and am stuck! I have entered information back to my great great great grandfather, John Preedy born in 1801. The birth year is proved and all census information obtained from 1841 to 1871, but to go further back I guess I need to get a copy of the birth certificate but I cannot find a birth record on ancestry.co.uk, if anyone could help me on how to research further back I would really appreciate it.
Thanks

Help needed on keeping a filing sytem

JulieJohnson913 — 4 Jul 2007 10:17:31 GMT

I recently borrowed a book and the author talked about "keeping information on different branches of the family in seperate folders, particularly if surnames crop up in more than one side". "It may help to keep relevant sections of your family tree with each set of notes".

Basically, my question(s) is(are) what exactly is meant by a "branch" also what would be "the sections"?

I know this sounds that I'm a bit thick but, I have a few leverarch files that are getting rather full and I don't know the best way to file my info. I tend to print out the census info sheet as well as the census for each member I find! HELP please.

Looking for advice on writing a family history book

ksuhistory — 12 Feb 2007 5:23:43 GMT

I would like to take all of the information that I have found out about my family and put it into a book. I have downloaded the Personal Historian free trial but is there anything else out there.

How do you move a record?

jadolphs — 23 Jun 2007 3:14:10 GMT

Anyone have an easy method for moving a record of a child from one parent to a different parent here in ancestry.com family tree tool.

Turns out John had two wives. I recorded wife one as the parent of some of the children. I found and added wife 2 and need to switch some of the kids to show her as their parent.

I don't want to rename wife 1 as wife 2. Wife 1 has 6 generations before her. I would also have to recreate them.

On the other hand, if I recreate the kids under wife 2, I would then have to recreate the generations below these kids.

Ant ideas??

How do you handle duplicate ancestors?

jadolphs — 22 Jun 2007 1:56:50 GMT

Would appreicate an advise on how to handle duplicate ancestors in my family tree.

So for example, many generations ago Abraham and Agnes had several children, Two of the children, Brian and Carol, childern married other people, and a few generations later, thier great grand childern married each other.

My tree goes back quite a bit, Abraham and Agnes and their ancestors are all duplicates. Plus, I have to enter dates, location and children multiple times.

And the further back I go, I'm finding this happening more and more often.

Is there any way to elimiate this dupliction? I would like Abraham and Agnes to only appear once in my tree. I am looking specifically for a way to do this in the Ancestry.com family tree tool.

Alternately, I have not purchase family tree software yet. Is there any program that is better at eliminating this type of duplication and showing complex relationships?

A game plan for genealogy sharing with others

stude66 — 13 Jun 2007 2:52:40 GMT

I just finished a visit with a fourth cousin and it made me think of our late friend Dorothea Davis and the rules that she shared with me when I was starting out in this hobby. She said that we (paraphrased - it was a long time ago that this lesson was learned) should all follow some basics when visiting extended and distant relatives when Genealogy is the agreed upon topic.

1) Prepare for the visit as best as you can. That includes having the materials that you’ll need for sharing family information. Guests should be prepared with note paper - now it could mean your laptop, if appropriate -, copies of documents that you’ll want to share), pencils, etc. and hosts should be able to provide a table that is comfortable to sit at or substitute if need be.

2) Agree, at the beginning of the visit what common (emphasis on COMMON) family (or families) that you will be discussing during the visit. There is nothing that can ruin a visit than guest or host that starts off on an unrelated line that isn’t of mutual interest to the both of you. Going off on a tangent that is unrelated to the other person is never as interesting to them as it is to you.

3) Be honest with what you know and what you are comfortable sharing about others, especially those that are currently living. If a matter is private, don’t discuss it. If the other party dances around the subject, switch to another topic. And remember, no one appreciates a gossip more than the gossip thinks of themselves.

4) Use the meeting as a starting point for your own primary research, or a guide for what you are working on. Relying on someone else’s research skills and taking their word over your own research saves time, but presents the potential for propagating misinformation.

5) Honor your word – it is your bond in life. If you promise something, deliver it. If you borrow something, return it.

6) Be enthusiastic about your shared family lines. Its the best way to get people interested in genealogy and keep the vocation fun for everyone.

7) Don't "pooh pooh" their work to date, or their approach; putting on airs just makes you look stuffy.

8)If you find an error, be kind when pointing it out. Ask if they would like a suggestion or two on how to organized if there is a need for organizing their paperwork. Share a frustration if they share one - we've all hit brick walls and maybe the two of you can figure out a away through it, over it or around it.

9) After the visit, review your notes, and then send a thank you note. If questions arise, it is better to keep the bridges of communication open then appear only when you want something from them. People remember who is a gracious guest, and are more likely to be cooperative and welcoming in the future. The same is true for gracious hosts – the kindness you share with your guest will always be remembered.

Again, this is good advice, and timeless too!

Stu

Marriage Search question

lwakeman — 15 Jun 2007 8:28:25 GMT

Suggestions needed to search for a marriage record where we have the name of the bride and the groom but no other information.

Robert Locklear and Eva Marian Beulah were legally married prior to 1944. They divorced not too many years later. They are now both deceased and their one daughter would like to get a copy of their marriage licence.

Unfortunately, she does not even know what state they were married in. Her mother was born in MN. She believes they may have meet while her father was in the service in TX.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

unknown children of known spouse??

blsnider — 9 Jun 2007 3:16:05 GMT

I have the marriage liscense of two people, so I have their birth dates....is there any way to find out if this couple had any children?

Thanks for any help...from anyone!
Barb

Basic beginner stuff - deleting an entry

VirginiaLTeague — 19 Dec 2006 12:30:54 GMT

I was trying to add a spouse to a person when my pc froze. I unstuck it and tried again - I now have two identical spouses on my family tree. How do I delete one of them? Help please!

Bot of an odd one

lyns88 — 27 May 2007 8:40:05 GMT

Hello,
I am new here and wondering if I am fighting a lost cause. I am trying to find my dads half sister, but I am very limited on information. I have a rough idea of age I know her fathers name (my grandfather) and I have a rough idea of the area where she would have been born. I am unsure as to whether her mother and my grandfather were ever married. It does not help my search that my grandfathers surname (and first for that matter) is very common. Any body any ideas on where I start? Do I satnd any chance of finding her?

I need help, very new

kristeenascrafts — 3 May 2007 10:25:31 GMT

I recently inherited very detailed, very large family trees with detailed information sheets from both sides of the family. Both were done in the time before computers. One goes back -so it claims- 20 generations. The other goes back 15. I want to put this up on here to help those who may "hook into" the tree. I think I have all the geneology I can handle without diggin any further. My problem? I don't know how to read these family tree and detail sheet! Can someone help me?
Sincerely,
Kristeena

information merging on trees

SteveHaverty97 — 5 Feb 2007 10:45:49 GMT

Hello this is my first time posting here. So bear with me on the question as I am not sure if i word it correctly. I have spent the last few days putting together my family tree on the site by basically starting with myself and building backwards until I could merge it with a tree that already existed. I added that one to mine, and through some editing of mis spellings and date mistakes made it as right as i possibly could through relatives info. Now after that I went searching though more trees and more cenus records and all sorts of stuff and I was able to merge about 5-7 more trees into mine with very good confidence in their accuracy and information being correct. So now I have over 250 people all merged into a web like tree and I am curious if now that I have compiled several incomplete trees and fragments together will it now be able to be searched and connected by others? Cause I found out that my Great Great Grandfather was the 16th great grandson of Chaucer, so wouldnt that like make me his 18th great grandson and so on? But i guess is what i am asking is now that I have done this, will it eventually be possible to say in this example while looking at my name, click the find famous relatives and it would now find Chaucer as a direct relative? Or would it have to be done some other way? If you dont understand what I am asking please let me know, cause I really would like to know if linking these names and trees together can finally allow the search to see if i really have any famous relatives? Thanks.

Naming a new resource

JasonTorpy — 10 May 2007 12:44:50 GMT

I've got a geneology in the family in circular blueprint form. It goes back to 1850 and has about 700 names.

I just pulled all the data into my tree, but I want to ask what the best way to refer to this source would be.

The only information is the names. The center/source ancestors for the entire tree are listed, so I could maybe use their names, death date, or place of birth.

Jason

Can't find my parent's marriage record

hpbelle1975 — 28 May 2007 6:59:04 GMT

I'm trying to follow my ancestry through my mother's side - I have almost info about her family/parents, but I can't even find a marriage record for my mother and father as a starting point. I know the date and name of the town where they were married, but unfortunately the search I've done so far is not yielding anything. Can anyone point a newbie in the right direction?

Thanks in advance. :)

Organising paperwork!

65hplane — 10 Apr 2007 7:07:14 GMT

Any tips on putting files together? I've got certificates, census printouts and general info on particular professions, areas etc. I have tried sorting it by surname, then information type, but then wanted all info on a person in one place, but that made it hard with familes on a census if I had to make numerous copies to file under different people. I've stopped filing it at all now, so any help gratefully received!

Don't even get mew started on the photos ...!

Andrea

Should I seperate family lines?

BrandyHoyt — 15 Apr 2007 4:37:09 GMT

I am curious should I do a different file for each one of my Grandparents and my husbands or should I put them all together?

Brandy

NEWBIE HELP!!!

baileysice — 2 Jan 2007 10:12:24 GMT

Hi

I am struggling to find an ancestor, from my original notes and from speaking to relatives I know that Frederick William Dennis (abt 1876) emmigrated. Now this is were I'm strugling, I can find him on the 1901 census in the UK but nothing after, having checked some of the available passenger lists I believe he sailed into New York on 27 Feb 1915. But on the passenger list he is down as being married but I cant find any record of his marriage and he certainly didnt have his wife with him on this journey- unless they married on board??
Please can some one help as I really dont know where to go from here.
Thanx in advance
Sarah

What to do/Where to go next??

peattie — 11 Jan 2007 4:47:22 GMT

Have birth records from 1894 and 1903 showing parents names for 2 out of 6 children. Have found whole family on 1901 census so can work out approx ages. Cannot find any of family in previous census'. Cannot find marriage certificate for parents. Cannot identify other children from ages on 1901 census accurately to get their birth certificates to establish parents. These are first generation grandparents so without them cannot progress any further. Where do I go or what do I do next. Exasperated.

Try my Idea out, it really works

TwigletFamily — 5 May 2004 5:19:22 GMT

I am pleased to share with you, that I have found many Generation's of my Ancestors, by writing down the following.

batch numbers, dates, printout numbers, and the source call/microfiche/film numbers, I then conducted a search for my ancestor on familysearch.org.

when i did find information, I then matched up & compared the numbers etc that i found on the the Familysearch website, to what i had written down, which gave me an instant connection, all my Ancestors on my Dad's Maternal side, that i presently know about, are from Liverpool, Lancashire, England.

I will be very glad to help you with your Lines, if you send me the information on who your looking for, i will then copy the Dates, Batch, Printout & Source Call numbers etc from the familysearch site, and send them back to you off list.

Please contact me if you are unsure about what i'm explaining, so i can think of another way to explain my idea, if you do understand, then i highly recommend that you try this technique, because this really does work, is a much easier way to trace your familie's history, & it's the only way i will do my research from now on.

Putting my tree onto ancestry.

mariette53 — 12 Mar 2007 2:36:34 GMT

Hello,
I have done a reasonable amount of research into my family tree and I want to put it onto ancestry. My problem is that every other time I enter a new name and hit the save button my screen freezes and I have to shut down my computer to get it back. It does not happen on any other site or when I have used Ancestry research pages just the tree maker.
Any ideas as to what the problem may be?
Cheers, Barbara

Do I really need to reference sources?

kacarlson — 23 Jan 2007 1:36:20 GMT

I started out just putting a simple family tree together for my Father's Christmas present. I added "neat to know" stuff to spreadsheets when I came across it. And all was well. But once the family got hold of a draft copy I quickly got buried in a pile photos, trancripts, stories, tall tales, marriage certificates, prayer books and long phone calls. That was a year ago. I now have a 105-megabyte, 141 page monster that has taken on a life of its own.

I can go back and reference everything, but I'm afraid there will be so many numbers, letters and asterisks next to every sentence that it will detract from the story (I'm also a little lazy which doesn't help). I'm not sure it's worth the time.

My question is this: Will these references actually help the next schmuck who takes up the research on our family or should I just let him reference me as a "mysterious and omniscient source?"

Recording missing first names or surnames

EllenSF — 24 Jan 2007 9:47:23 GMT

I would like to know if there is a convention for recording names in my genealogy when I don't know the complete name.

For example, I know Sam Jones married a woman named Sally. I don't know Sally's maiden name. How do I record Sally's name.

I know Mary Smith married a man named Robert, but I don't know Robert's last name. How do I record Robert's name? And how do I record the names of Mary and Robert's children, Ann, David, Frank, and Patrick?

Do I bother collecting relative's spouses lines?

galaxymail — 24 Nov 2005 2:55:09 GMT

Here I was adding generations in FamilyTreeMker from my discovered great grand aunt's husband's line and was reviewing a kinship report showing how I related to these new "extended" family members. They don't show up at all as 'family'. (I was expecting to see something like '2nd great grandfather of husband of great grand aunt')...
Which got me thinking. Wait. Am I wasting time? What is the standard? Don't add relatives' spouses family lines? I have been trying to search for some reference material that answers this question - having difficulty finding anything specific to this. Please - can anyone tell me what the guideline is on this before I waste another minute adding more individuals that aren't directly blood-related? Thanks!

Presenting a Large Family Tree

Matt Miller — 23 Jun 2006 11:22:27 GMT

I have what I consider to be a large family tree containing about 5000 people with several branches of the tree going back as far as 1700. My first cousins, aunts and uncles have a family reunion every four years. The next one is in two years and I'd like to allow them to browse through the tree at their leisure while at the reunion. I'm having trouble coming up with the best way to do this. I was considering bringing a computer and just having the information on the hard drive and let them browse through it using my geneaology software, but the reunion is an outdoor picnic. People would (rightly so) rather not be sitting in front of the computer during this so it seems a handout would make more sense. Now, as you can imagine, a handout with several branches going back 9 or 10 generations containing 5000 would be a bit unwieldy and a tree diagram seems impossible.

I'm interested in what others would do in such a situation. Any recommendations?

How to connect people to the tree

susanpiggott — 28 Nov 2006 2:43:02 GMT

Can anyone tell me how I would enter this problem

I have two brothers that married two sisters way back in the 1600's. How can I connect them on the tree.

Genealogy Adoption Rules

peter yorke — 2 Jan 2006 4:15:17 GMT

If I am born to Father A & Mother A, Mother A remarries Father B, I am adopted by B. Is my family tree A or B and if A which name do I go under (current name is B)?
Father A also remarries Mother C & adopts her child. Should this child show up on my tree?

Stuck!!!!!!

heltsu78 — 15 Oct 2006 4:33:10 GMT

Hi ... could someone who has a bit more experience on research help me...
I am stuck and i cant seem to be able to locate persons details. Info that i got is - Frederick Whitford born around 1858 - married Ellen Marsh 1912 in Orsett Essex. I am desperately trying to find more information about his death and his past. (as far as i can see he was 1901 census in Chadwell St Mary - and was married which makes me think hes been married twice - but to whom - who Knows!!!)
on Census 1861 i have found Frederick Whitford born 1858 in Newscastle and one in middlesex mums name in both cases Mary Ann! Confused - you bet i am.

What would you say is the best method for me now go forward??? suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Recording Nicknames

Matt Wise — 4 Sep 2006 12:06:53 GMT

I have a question about recording nicknames. I have always seen nicknames put in quotes right after the given name such as: Anne "Rachel" Elizabeth SMITH. But what if the individuals nickname was their middle name. Do I record it like this: Anne "Rachel" SMITH? Also, what if their nickname is part of their middle name such as, "Dan" in Matthew Daniel SMITH?

Civil vs. Canon ?

BLHeywood58 — 4 Sep 2006 1:10:54 GMT

Someone showed me a "relationship report" for his family tree. First column was the name of the individual followed by a column stating what the relationship was (mother, cousin, etc.). The third and fourth columns were titled CIVIL (Roman numerals) and CANON (numbered). Anyone have any idea what these columns represent?
Thanks!
Barb

For Reference

jgutheim — 22 Jul 2006 3:08:33 GMT

Can someone please help explain degree of cousins.......

frankward72 — 23 Jul 2006 10:22:10 GMT

First time family reunion and researching family tree. What are first cousins children to each other? Are they second cousins? When a first cousin has a child, what is the child to their first cousins? Thanks for any info.

Looking for Advice on Names

Vanessa — 13 Jun 2006 5:21:21 GMT

I recently did a census search for a section of my famiy. It came up with a family in the right area, with simmilar names, and simmilar birthdates, but how should I process this information? Whilst the names were remarkaby simmilar (Hepsibeth rather than Heppy, Jonah rather than Joanna), they are not the same as that on the current family record. Should I persue this sort of data? I'm still really new to this sort of research, so I have little/no idea what I'm doing *grin*

Cheers,
Ness

advice on getting started, etc....

bradleyscott831 — 27 May 2006 3:55:02 GMT

hello, i'm looking into the idea of compiling my grandparents ancestry into a book form and giving it to them as a christmas gift....i'm looking for advice on what to include, not to include, software that is easy to format into book pages, etc, how far back i should take it, anything else really. I'm not sure exactly how to go about it. i'm looking into getting a book or 2 on this too that should help me as well, but any advice i can get from other people who have taken on similar projects would be wonderful!!!!!!!!!

maiden name unknown

stevecooney34 — 17 Feb 2006 3:26:53 GMT

Hi
Can you help me were can i find the maiden name of a relative. with putting the husband name in the family tree do i put the married name in the wife box or the maiden name. I am working a lot from the censuses and want to locate the wifes history, obviously i will then need thhe maiden name for this to happen
Thanks for your help

General Advice

lukescott2003 — 9 Mar 2006 4:40:30 GMT

Hi,

I'm just starting out and I was wondering if any experienced users had any top tips for me?

I have started my family tree, but I am unable to find a record of my own birth - so the prospect of finding m Great Grandma is a little daunting!

Anyone tell me where I'm going wrong?

Luke.

Multiple marriages/divorce--no children

Axelant — 16 Feb 2006 5:50:42 GMT

This question might also fall in the category of etiquette. I have a family member (alive) who has been married and divorced several times. Said person feels it is inappropriate to list the short-term "mistakes" and that only marriages with children , or the final marriage in that person's life, should be listed. Opinions? Guidance?

Newbie! What should I record for current LIVING family info?

Charity — 6 Jul 2005 7:50:01 GMT

Older relatives have our family history but I have been put "in charge" of updating our branch of the family, from my maternal grandfather down. Right now it's about 55 people but we're expecting two more this month! I've asked everyone for their information but I'm not really sure what all I should be collecting. So far I've asked them for the following: full name, birth date/city/county/state, wedding date/city/county/state, spouse's full name, spouse's parents names (and where they were born, if known), spouse's birth date/city/county/state and children info such as names/birthdates/cities. I've also asked them to include military service - branch/years/rank.
Is this enough info? And is it good info? Or am I missing some important info that we should keep? Do I really need all the spouse (more specifically, the spouse's parents') info or is that a waste of time? Any advice would be great because I'm just starting out in this family tree business.
I'm also wondering how you handle family secrets? We have a case of a child being adopted but not knowing about it. Besides getting into ethics and morality issues, how should I list that in a family tree? Should I just continue with the secret until it's discovered?

Genealogy & Adoption

SC — 9 Dec 2005 5:04:51 GMT

I have a cousin who gave twins up for adoption in the 1980's. I don't think she ever saw them, doesn't know what they were named, has never seen them since. She has two additional children that she kept. Overall I believe she was married 3 or maybe 4 times, but at least one of the children she kept, and the twins were not born from the marriages. How do I document this in my genealogy.
I have not asked her what she would want me to do, as it is not something she cares to talk about.
My question is do I document EVERYTHING as it happened, if I can find records for everything, or am I obligated to respect her privacy and omit facts from my genealogy to make her happy?

Where to Begin?

macy55gray1 — 19 Sep 2005 5:42:10 GMT

I come from a very large family on both sides and I'm having trouble on which side to start with.First of all some members of my family having trouble talking about their family's history especially my grandmother and father(decease) it's like pulling teeth.My grandmother is from Stamps,Arkansas and my father is from Anderson County Texas.Both sides consisted of a mixed ancestry and very sensitive about it.My grandmother's husband(decease) and father are from Hosston and Shreveport Louisiana.My mom says her father never talk about his family and suppose to have other children from Louisiana.I need HELP!!!

BEWARE of posting information about LIVING PEOPLE

hubherby — 29 Sep 2005 10:44:06 GMT

The information that is available on-line in some
states is TRULY DUMBFOUNDING.

Using very limited information gained from a recent
post, it was possible to find the
birth record for a person,
all siblings,
the marriage record for parents,
divorce record for one of the parents,
birth records for both of the parents
birth records for grand parents
death records for great grand parents and
some grand parents
most of the living cousins and second
cousins
on and on.

There ain't much privacy left.

Tactful communication with distant relatives

eallynm — 1 Sep 2005 11:34:34 GMT

Do any of you have any suggestions on writing to distant relatives (e.g. 3rd, 4th cousins), who do not know you exist and may or may not be interested in family history? I am working on a history of the deceased descendents of one set of ancestors, and it would be great if living cousins could contribute photographs, Bible records, anecdotes, etc. But I feel a little shy about writing to strangers.

Ideas?

How to go back before census & BMD records

Mike_Broomhead — 8 Jun 2005 8:31:46 GMT

I've done a reasonable job at tracing back to early 1800s, mainly by Census data, and also registered BMDs.
But of course the earliest census is 1861 (1851 coming online later this year I believe), and BMDs are only Registered from 1837.

So .... what's people's advice for going back further ??
My family are mainly from Yorkshire, and I was excited when I saw Yorkshire Parish records available on Ancestry. But when I searched, they all seemed to be C18 - ie do not overlap with early C19 info that I have (I would obviously need overlap to join up names and be reasonably certain).

Any advice appreciated.... I'm surely not the only one !

Thanks in advance.
Mike

Newbie stuck and hoping for help

fisherjohnr — 10 Jun 2005 11:48:26 GMT

Hi all,
Started about 2 months ago- made some great progress back 3 generations on my mothers side but can't get past my paternal grandfather. He has a unique name also (Watson T. Fisher) and I thought he was going to be easy:). I've found his ww1 draft card that gives his birth date and town of birth. I've called that town and the surrounding towns but no luck with a birth certificate. He was born in Whitman Mass in 1887. I've found him in the 1910 census living with a Lewis family and in the 1920 cenus living with my grandmother and dad and uncles/aunt. He died in 1925 (same year my dad was born) but can't find a death certificate.
I have a few general questions: Is it common for that location and time to not have a birth certificate? Any other ideas for finding his parents names?
Thanks much

Searching from past to present

SusanSemenick — 6 May 2005 12:05:56 GMT

I know from an obituary that I'm related to a person in ONE FAMILY TREE. I can find him, no problem, but I'd like to link him with his descendants... up to me, hopefully. How do I go toward the present instead of going toward the past??
Thanks for any help!!!

Help!!!

Chuck — 6 Apr 2005 8:12:39 GMT

I have a vintage version of FTM which I was running on Windows 98. Bought a new 'puter running Windows XP, loaded FTM on to it and it works fine except I can't access all the wonderful CD's that came with the package-immigration records, SS death index etc. Any suggestions other than investing in a new FTM?
Have a whole bunch of data I would hate to lose.

Chuck - tottka@samlink.com

how to trace women when maiden names are not provided

stapel_eliz — 16 Mar 2005 9:07:52 GMT

I'm trying to trace my mother's ancestry. I'm having some luck with the men, but I can't follow the women back, because the census records don't include maiden names. I'm probably missing something obvious, but I don't know what I should do to trace the women back. Any advice appreciated.

Thank you.

Eliz.

FTM Plotter printing

JCrawford62 — 10 Feb 2005 2:36:34 GMT

My tree is very large and possibly has unrelated lines imported into it. I took various versions of print-to-file versions to a local printer but it always comes out in 81/2 x 11 displays. I've tried printing to PDF as well as the plotter's driver. I changed the paper size to the largest, in different configurations, to no avail. Has anyone had luck in this area? Does anyone have a printer they have used with success? I use FTM ver. 11 / Acrobat ver 5.0.

NOT A CLUE!!!

lakotadrivinghawk — 15 Feb 2005 8:55:44 GMT

Can anyone help a novice at this? To complicate matters I was adopted and I do know who my birth parents are they are Native American and I know alot of the names from my Biological mother's side,I know less about my Biological father's side and even less about my adopted parent's! I would like to somehow get good enough to gather all this info for my children.

Surname changes

wlorz1 — 21 Mar 2005 7:17:44 GMT

What is the accepted practice for listing ancestors who changed their names? Should I list them by the name they were born with or the one at their time of death?

haunted by my ancestors

@@wildwood58@hotmail.com — 5 Jun 2003 3:56:21 GMT

This might sound really odd but I have a problem that is driving me crazy. I'm almost afraid to ask here but I don't know where else to turn to get help.

Every time I work on my research I'm pestered by something. Or someone. I wake up in the middle of the night to someone giving me a backscratch or just sitting on my bed, lights go on and off by themselves, stuff is moved around my house... This problem started at the same time I first started using my family tree software (FTM) and as soon as I stop my research everything goes back to normal. I even moved to a different house a year ago and the problem has followed me. I can only guess this activity is from an ancestor but I'm at the point where I'm afraid to work on my family tree because what happens afterward creeps me out.

Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Pam

Creating Webpages and need good site

nahoapili — 24 Feb 2005 5:05:29 GMT

Webpages. Does anyone know of a good site to post an original family webpage that is free and easy? Do you know if Family Tree Maker allows for originality or must you conform to their rules. If you got a great site, kokua

charting methods

bryant_edward — 4 Jan 2005 7:57:25 GMT

Does anyone know of a good resource regarding family tree charting methods. I am trying to find information on such things as different methods of showing multilple spouses, denoting adopted children, etc. on family trees.

Googling for such information seems useless because it results in a flood of "software" reviews and the like. I am interested in the actual methods/conventions used in family trees, not software.

I would be interested in examples of how some of these programs display such non-standard relationships in their charts, but it seems most software websites display only "easy" examples.

any help on navigating genealogy sites!

joneskaz1 — 6 Jan 2005 11:02:10 GMT

On looking at the various sites available without paying an arm and a leg!
Im finding it difficult to navigate the sites i find im going around in circles on every site.
i know its going to take time to get used these sites but a little help would be nice.
so if anyone has any tips for a welsh girl looking for her ancesters then please let me know.
kind regards
karen

family tree database design

brotherwolf1 — 22 Sep 2004 3:55:58 GMT

I'm having brain trouble trying to think up the best way to create a database structure to do a family tree. Although it needs to be able to contain census type information. actually it's more census data with some family tree relationships as well.

I thought of one table that basically contains all the census data for one person. and then a field for the father id and a field for the mother id. And a lookup table for the house addresses.

i found some vague reports that using 2 tables is the way forward, one for people and one for some kind of relationships. but i'm not sure i understand that. Anyone have any thoughts?

I need help to start my family tree!

nealhume — 19 Sep 2005 6:28:43 GMT

Hi
I am very new to this site and was wondering how do I get started in tracing my famity tree. I can only go back a few generations at the moment, after looking through this site it has made me interested in tracing my family back further.

I will be very gratefull for any help and advice
Thank You
Neanl Hume

What software do you use?

jrmorgan56 — 30 Nov 2004 4:52:35 GMT

I am new to this and was wondering which software titles you use to store your family tree. I am currently using Legacy (Millenium). But think, before I get too far, I would like to upgrade to something with more of a windows type interface.

I was looking at of course Ancestry.com's Family Tree Maker 2005.

The other title was Family Tree Legends, by Pearl Software.

Any advice? It is very important for me to be able to publish a website INDEPENDENT of Ancestry.com or of the Family Tree Legends website (Legacy allows this). That is how I like to burn to CD, website structure. I don't want to be limited to just the company's website.

Anyone with recommendations or experiences with any of these titles? Any arguments for me to stay with Legacy? (Sometimes it gets a little complicated, adding events or source citations...not very intuitive).

Who should be on a family tree

mhillman152 — 7 Nov 2004 6:17:43 GMT

I would like to find out from someone, exactly who should be on the family tree. Should it not be true descendants, is that not the correct way of doing a family tree?

How do I find my family??????

hubherbie — 17 Feb 2006 6:06:34 GMT

degree of error on census birthdates

kalisita — 3 Sep 2004 3:49:08 GMT

To what degree of error can i expect on tracing back the census? I have ran into this problem where there is a +/- 3 degree of error on the birthdates of those I am searching and believe this to be too much...can anyone help?

family name set up in tree query...

Sheilah — 19 Aug 2004 12:32:52 GMT

I'm sure this has been asked a billion times before but not sure how I would figure it out so looking for suggestions..

One of my branches has the family named spelled different ways.. I've submitted a tree with all three variation but when I go looking for it, it doesn't come up... so not sure how it should be in the tree in order to find it or let others find in in world connect...

Family Info was found in the census and the current name is what was listed in a death certifcate... so how would I list it..

for ex.. John Smithen was on the 1860 census.. on the 1870 census, its John Smythen... and in 1880 its now John Smith.

How would I work this into my gedcom file so when you searched on either spelling, my tree is viewable...

Tks..
Sheilah