Wednesday 26 March 2014

Cast the net wide

Some people have a tree with only their direct line and births marriages and deaths. This is OK as far as it goes. 

It really helps to have the brothers and sisters as well.

And a good way to track the family is through the censuses. If you can see the same names appearing in the right order with matching birthplaces in the censuses, you know you have the right family. This is particularly helpful for common surnames.

If you can't find a birth record for your ancestor, you may find one for a sibling and that way you can establish the parents' names.




Cumnock Connections tree

As a member of Cumnock History group, I have created an online tree, called Cumnock Connections,  where anyone with an ancestor who was in Cumnock can add their line to the tree and see how we all link up.

This is how to do it.

First you need to get a invitation by email from me, so I need your email. Email me at kmcmeekin[at]me.com

Follow the link in the email you get back from  tribalpages. You will need to create your own account with an email and a password.  (Remember your password!)

Once you have done that, you get a choice to create a new website or go to Cumnock Connections.

Don't start a new tree as no-one else will be able to see it. Go to Cumnock Connections tree. and click on the link.

This takes you to the home page. It has a blue background.

 Click on edit (below the ct in the word Connections) and it asks you to log in again.
Then the background turns to cream when you are in admin/editing mode.

Remember to check the person you are adding isn't already on the site.  If you find you have added someone who was already there, let me know and I will sort it out. There is no "merge duplicates" feature on tribal pages.

If the person is already on the tree, you will see three icons to the left of his/her name. Click on the middle one to edit. ( a notepad and pen symbol) Add your name in the Notes - "Connects to …"

Click save at the bottom.

If you are adding a new line, select "add new" from the People Menu.


Select Male or Female


 Remember not to add yourself, or anyone else living. If you add someone born after 1900 and don't give a date of death, it will assume they are alive. Be sure to click the "No" button beside Alive? under the name.  Click Save at the bottom.


Please add in the Notes  "Connected to" and your name.


Census information, if you have it, should be entered in the Notes section of the head of the household


Generally it is pretty straightforward and I like the layout of the tribal pages tree.

Please check that your ancestor is not already on the tree. As the tree grows, there is more likelihood of this.

If the person you are adding already has a relation on the tree e.g. a spouse, look for them where it says click here.  If unsure of anything, please ask me for guidance!



If the person is illegitimate and the father not known please don't add a name at all for the father. Just leave the father blank.  And no need to put "illegitimate" in the notes. It is an emotive term. It will be obvious from the lack of father what the situation was! If the father is known the name can be added along with how you know this in the Notes. eg a paternity case or father named on child's marriage certificate. The parents can be marked as not married.



Adding photos, newspaper clippings
To post a photo to the tree, first go to the person you want to associate the photo with. You need to be in "edit" mode. You 'll see an Add Photos symbol to the left of the name. Click on that and upload from your computer. You can add other names to it if it is a group photo or a headstone with more than one name.  Choose an Album for our photo eg family groups.
Please do not add scotlandspeople certificates to the tree. They are copyright.


There is a video tutorial here

On Facebook I have a group called Cumnock Family History to discuss the tree.



Friday 14 March 2014

Tips for entering on an online tree

More tips for beginners

5  Always use a married woman's maiden name when adding her to your tree. If you don't know it, leave blank, or write unknown.

6 Always put a date of birth even if it is a guess eg 25 years younger than the child

This saves (or helps save) the application eg ancestry giving you false "hints" or ridiculous returns in searches.


Monday 3 March 2014

Skeletons in the cupboard

More tips for new family researchers.

There are  plenty "skeletons" in my tree!

Tip no 3

Be prepared for some skeletons in the cupboard. It may turn out your great granny wasn't actually married to your great grandad.

Divorce was expensive and ordinary folk just moved on.

There were plenty illegitimate births before the days of contraception.
Often the child was brought up by the mother's parents and sometimes as a child not a grandchild. The birth certificate gives the game away. It was, and is, illegal to give false information to the Registrar.

Remember, you are not responsible for the actions of your ancestors.



Tip no 4

Don't be too quick to judge your ancestors. Times were different. Widows and widowers left with children often remarried quite soon. This was a matter of necessity for financial support for the widows and childcare for the widowers. I spotted a comment on a forum along the lines of "his wife died and he remarried with indecent haste".

Another one I hear often is "they had a hard life". Certainly they did, compared to us but this doesn't necessarily mean they were unhappy.