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Getting Started
The best way to start out is with the Table
of Contents, or by going directly to the Surname
Index. All surnames are listed on a single page, so you will
not need to visit individual pages to look for different surnames.
To quickly find a surname, perform a Ctrl+F (on the PC) or an Apple+F
(on the Mac) and type the surname you're looking for. By clicking
on a name in the Surname Index, you will be able to view an alphabetical
listing of all persons on the site bearing the surname you selected.
When you click an individual, you'll be taken to their Web
Family Card.
Web Family Cards
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with
the layout of the Web Family Cards and the Person Sheets (Steps
B and C). You will find a key to abbreviations, information about
how to view sources, and other important tips for getting the most
out of your browsing session.
This
is a Web Family Card
| 1 |
Husband/Father
of the family group is named here, and vital information is
listed. b=birth, d=death, bur=buried, occ=occupation, rel=religion,
res=primary residence, im=immigration (if applicable), nat=nationality
of birth. Click the name of the Husband/Father to bring
up that individual's Person Sheet. |
| 2 |
Wife/Mother
of the family group is named here, and vital information is
listed. b=birth, d=death, bur=buried, occ=occupation, rel=religion,
res=primary residence, im=immigration (if applicable), nat=nationality
of birth. Click the name of the
Husband/Father to bring up that individual's Person
Sheet. |
| 3 |
Children
of the family group are listed
here. Click each child to bring up his or her own Web Family
Card with his/her respective spouse(s) and children. |
| 4 |
Paternal
and Maternal Grandparents of the
family group are listed here. Click each grandparent to bring
up his or her own Web Family Card. |
Person Sheets
The Person Sheets are where the bulk of information
about a person can be found. In addition to enhanced vital information
(shown in the illustration below), you will find supplemental information
such as the Overview, Miscellaneous
Notes, and Comments. Not every person
has supplemental information (yet) in their file, but it is usually
a good idea to check, especially if you have questions or doubts
about a piece of information you encounter. To view
a Person Sheet, click the hot-linked name of the Husband or Wife
on a Family Group Sheet
[Areas 1 or 2 in the illustration
above].
If you neglect to look at an ancestor's Person
Sheet you may miss critically important comments, explanations,
or caveats about a family group or person. At this early stage,
I may have supplemental information which I have not yet had an
opportunity to post online. Additionally, I the number of fields
I can display when I publish to the web is limited. I often have
baptismal, land purchase, naturalization or other records that are
not available online. If you still have questions after you've checked
the Person Sheets, feel free to email me and if I have any additional
information that can assist you, I will make a GEDCOM file for that
individual and share it with you.
This
is a Person Sheet
| 5 |
Enhanced
vital information for the subject
of the Person Sheet
(male or female), including clickable
links to the Person Sheets of the subject's parents. |
| 6 |
Enhanced
vital information for the spouse
of the subject Person Sheet
(male or female), including clickable
links to the spouse's parents. |
| 7 |
Clickable
"footnotes" linked to
source information. |
Supplemental
Information
Below the vital information pictured on the Person Sheet in the
example above, you may find some or all of the following categories
of supplemental information for an individual (not pictured in the
graphic because of space and loading limitations).
The Overview is my own personal
narrative of what is known, or capable of being deduced from the
facts surrounding a person's life. It is often a restatement of
events (birth, death, marriage, immigration, etc.) sometimes combined
with a brief overview of current events of the time for a sense
of perspective.
To reduce our ancestors to a rote list of names,
dates, and places is to rob ourselves of the context in which they
lived, to be blind to their passions and motivations, to lose all
sense of the hopes, fears, and sacrifices that each experienced
as immigrants and refugees into an unknown land. Having said this,
it is impossible for us to know the hearts of the living, let alone
the hearts of those long dead. Where possible, I have tried to do
at least superficial research into the events that I believe may
have impacted the lives of our ancestors, and occasionally I have
supplemented ab ancestor's file with photos, illustrations, or anecdotes
appropriate to the subject. The Overview may also incorporate comments
and observations that I've made, or supporting quotes from research.
I have generally limited my supplemental
research and comments to my own ancestors and the occasional interesting
cousin or other relative. If you can supply additional intersting
information to anyone on the site, I welcome it.
The Miscellaneous Notes
field is where I add isolated facts, leads, clues, or small bits
and pieces of research which may shed light on events in the person's
life. I use the notes space for information which is too brief to
warrant a separate Source Document in my files, but is nevertheless
worth making a note of, and sharing online. If you have questions
about any of the supplemental information you find in the Miscellaneous
Notes, feel free to email
me and I will assist you if I can.
The Comments field is a
place for me to make observations about the research I've collected
from various sources. In my comments I speculate about dates, relationships
between people, discrepancies in research, opinions or other issues
which may be too long, or inappropriate for the Overview or the
Miscellaneous Notes. I usually end a comment with [LH] (my
initials) for clarification. I may also add the footnote designation
"1", which corresponds with my personal research notes.
Occasionally I will add a comment directly
beneath a note or other piece of research in the Overview or Miscellaneous
Notes section. I usually indicate this by structuring the sentence
in the following way "Comment:
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..."[LH]
Search the
Site
You can search my
entire website by using the search interface for my main web
site, laurahenderson.com .
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