Guidelines for editing the Family Tree

Please read this before you start and review it frequently. If you have any queries or suggestions please enter them as comments below. The Administrator will keep the guidelines up to date based on feedback and ongoing changes to the website.

Names

The first appearing name of an individual should be the most likely name based on all the research.

Middle names

When middle names are used as the main given name simply enclose the name in quotes, eg, Alan "David" Shepherd. The web site will underline that part of the name and it will be perfectly clear to readers what is meant. Don't re-enter the middle name as a Nickname unless it is a variant, eg, Dave.

Nicknames

Familiar names should be entered separately as a Nickname, eg, Bill. If it is unclear whether a name is a familiar name or a possible alternative name enter it as an alternative name. This might apply especially for earlier periods when spellings were more variable.

Alternate names

Any other spellings or variants should also be recorded by adding another name. Enter each name in full, ie, given names and surname, even if some parts of the name are the same as above. If a surname or given name is left empty it can appear as "unknown" when this may not be intended.

Places

To support mapping, all places are recorded under the Place field. Do not use place type fields such as Cemetery or Address.

Places are recorded as their modern equivalents disregarding the frequent redrawing of county, state and national borders over the centuries. If you wish to emphasise a historic location tell the story in an Event Note (see below).

To enter a Place, first of all look for a place that already exists on the database by clicking the Find Place link. Official place names are spelt in full without punctuation or apostrophes, so look for all variants such as:

Saint Marys,
River Murray, Murray River,
Cheltenham Cemetery, New Cheltenham Cemetery,
Malvern East, East Malvern.

If you are sure that your place is not listed, enter a new Place.

Places must conform to the required format so that they match the mapping database. Formats vary from country to country as follows with commas separating the four levels in the hierarchy:

Australia:
Place-name, Town, State, Australia
Canada:
Place-name, Town, Province, Canada
Germany:
Place-name, Town, Land, Germany
UK:
Place-name, Town, County, Country
USA:
Place-name, County, State, USA

Expand the table by clicking on the symbol to see the fields to fill in.

Only use letters, numbers and hyphens. Do not use full stop, comma, apostrophe, single quote or double quote. Use full names without abbreviations or apostrophes. Some examples:

Saint Marys Church
11 First Avenue
Guyan Township
Gallia County
New South Wales

The single exception allowable for abbreviations is USA.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are treated as countries. However, United Kingdom is used for Guernsey, Jersey and Isle of Man. (Isle of Wight is a county of England.)

To enable mapping of the new Place enter the latitude and longitude (click on the symbol to show the fields). Use positive decimal numbers and select N or S and E or W appropriately. Latitudes and longitudes can be obtained from place-name, mapping or genealogical websites such as the following:

Events and Notes

In general, when you want to tell a story use an Event. Carefully select whether it applies to an individual or a family. An individual event appears only on the individual's page. A family event appears on the page of each individual (parents and children) within the family.

Historical Notes (about the context)
Biographical Notes (about the individual or family)
Military Service

Distinguish between a Source type and an Event type. For example a census record or birth certificate may provide evidence but are not usually the story in themselves.

Research notes and tasks should go elsewhere