Genealogy and Family History Stack Exchange
Genealogy and Family History Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
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2 answers

Is there a transcription standard that separates unclear words from added words?

Right from the beginning I picked up the habit of adding [square brackets] round unclear or illegible words / letters in transcriptions and < angle brackets > round words / letters that I added myself to make the transcript clearer. However, I am…
AdrianB38
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Organising digital documents for genealogy and family history?

I have been trying for over 15 years now to come up with a system of folders for my family documents. As I'm sure most of you know it can be difficult. Without making duplicates of each document how do you sort your files? Meaning if I have a…
Steven O'Neill
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4 answers

Making your first trip to a courthouse

I am lucky enough to live within an hour's drive of a Texas county that is significant to my family history. I hear many people talk about going to the courthouse for research, but I still find it intimidating. Particularly, there are a lot of…
woman among men
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Intra Family marriage / rejoining family trees?

Deep in my families history (1600's or there abouts) our family split in two. About three or four generations later two distant cousins got married creating a split / rejoin. G.G.G.Parents A …
Jamie McNaught
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4 answers

Do any programs use Gedcom X (as opposed to Gedcom)?

Gedcom X appears to be an attempt at a next generation gedcom format. "The intent of GEDCOM X is to define a standard for modeling and exchanging the components of the research process that comprise the genealogical proof standard" Look at a…
Duncan
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What does three small rings in a triangle mean in a Swedish parish registers?

In Sweden during the 18th and 19th century each parish had a "Husförhörslängd", a book tallying the people in the parish keeping track of how well they knew their biblical history, and if they had taken their communion. Very often in these books I…
Lennart Regebro
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6 answers

Are there any privacy issues regarding publishing the image of a grave marker online?

I know that some families have 'family plots' and cemeteries on private land, but there are so many cemeteries open to the public - Am I allowed to just take a photo of any tombstone and publish it online without worries of repercussions? Are there…
Canadian Girl Scout
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How many sources/citations is too many?

I've been using GRAMPS, and am a little overwhelmed by the citation abilities. So I guess the question for seasoned veterans of genealogy is where do you put the citations, given the ability to cite every little detail? Or do you put it…
Benjamin Pritchard
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Statistical Genealogy, or Knowing what is an extraordinary claim

It is often said in genealogy (or any field of research, really) that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”. Fair enough. But how does one know what is an extraordinary claim? We can extrapolate from our own experience and society,…
Verbeia
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Should I donate my family photos to an archive?

I have quite a lot of photos from 1890 - 1930 of my ancestors. They are mainly family snaps but some have historical buildings in the shot. All are from Australia. Is there a benefit to donate them to National Archives or similar?
Henry
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8 answers

Should I record a Census as a Census or a Residence?

When I started recording my tree I recorded the fact that an ancestor was present in census as such. This produced, as expected, a census (CENS) record in my GEDCOM. After working with my tree on Ancestry for a while I decided to download the tree…
OldCurmudgeon
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5 answers

What to do with discarded research data?

What to do with discarded research data? Some time ago, I was looking for anything related to the birth, or the family, of a lady who married into my line back in 1834. All I could see was one baptism that looked a good match some 30-or-so miles…
ACProctor
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15 answers

How should I record women with unknown maiden name?

When I find a woman's married name and have not yet found her maiden name what is the best way to record her name? If I put nothing, I end up with many Jane or Mary names in my list and have no easy way to tell them apart. Should I put their…
Jeni
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Handling and storage tips for old Family Bible

I have an old Bible that was printed about 1821. The Bible belonged to my second great grandfather, Ephriam Benn. I want to preserve the Bible, and I want to share information about the Bible with other family members. I am looking for tips and…
David Gleason
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3 answers

What are the key points for a beginning genealogist to consider?

I'm an absolute starter to genealogy and I've always found it very interesting so last week I decided to build my family tree. What are the key things I should consider when getting started?
fpiro07
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