Standardising how we present data?

[MarkCDodd]

To make the BCC look a bit better and easier to read....

... and ensure all relevant information is recorded when a lookup is done.

Do you think we should adopt a standard way of recording and presenting information?

i.e: I use this template when doing marriage lookups and recording sources in my tree:

Groom's Name:
Bride's Name:
Marriage Date:
Marriage Place:
Church:
Denomination:
Church Register Entry:
Minister/Priest/Celebrant:
Licence/Banns?:
Groom's Birthplace:
Groom's Age:
Groom's Abode:
Groom's Parish:
Groom's Occupation:
Bride's Birthplace:
Bride's Age:
Bride's Abode:
Bride's Parish:
Bride's Occupation:
Groom's Father's Name:
Groom's Father's Occupation:
Groom's Mother's Name:
Bride's Father's Name:
Bride's Father's Occupation:
Bride's Mother's Name:
Groom's Marital Status:
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Marital Status:
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Groom's Signature:
Bride's Signature:
Witness:
Witness:
Notes:

I have similar for Baptisms, Banns and Burials.

FamilySearch have adopted similar templates and although many items are blank in most records, it makes it easier to read.

[linell]

I think BCC looks great as it is, NL runs it very tightly. Linell.

[MarkCDodd]

I didn't say it looks bad, but when you look at the quoted lookups it can be daunting to figure out the information.

[Northern Lass]

I think we will keep it just the way it is Mark thanks
I have it hard enough running the tree as it is.

I do like that sort of idea (ie we all input exactly the same way-
don't like the format with big gaps though)
however
we couldn't copy what another site is doing re format,
and
It would be too time consuming for me to monitor how people puts it in.

I don't think people realise how much work goes into just running and monitoring, the site.

So no for the time being whilst I own and run it it stays as it is.
For the sake of my sanity

[Carol]

I think it would loose that personal touch and most of us like looking amongst the ramblings for that special bit of info. That would be like wading through a filing cabinet instead

[Northern Lass]

Just a thought Mark you could contact Tribal Pages
and see if they could add a format from a drop down box
that those that wanted to fill in could.
So where the events box is they could put another one in for
marriage info, I don't think they have enough on that marriage section anyway
that would be useful, to fill in the marriage at the bottom and then a drop down box
for the other info.
Then those that want to add it like that can, and those that want to add it in
the notes or citations (as we do now) can too.

[Antie Em]

Don't know about anyone else who does lookups, but all I need is the reference number from WMBMD for a marriage, or a church and year and the names of the bride and groom. For Christenings, just the name of child, the parents, the date and the church.

I always print them out on Word, so anything that saves printer ink is welcome. When I send them to NL - I just transcribe them onto the page. I really wouldn't want to bother filling in a template.


Maggie

[MarkCDodd]

Fair enough one and all.

A web based template would be good but Tribal Pages arn't going to change their design any time soon.

A lot of the software that allows you to host your tree on your own website has user configurable templates so fussy people like moi' can be catered for.

Tribal Pages is more than adequate for BCC and please don't think I am having a go at how it looks.

I just feel that some of the lookup information is missing details that might be of use to resolve brick walls and sometimes that is because people forget to record it, not because they choose not to.

And personally, for me, printing out a few dozen templates and filling them in when looking at the film/fiche/book is a lot easier than having to write down the information in shorthand.

[Northern Lass]

Not sure what extra info there is to be had Mark any relevant info is normally taken off certifs.

I know when I do a look up the only thing I miss off is the vicar who performed it.

The info is a finding aid/guide only...so those that want more info/or to double check, can send for the certifs,
which they should do anyway to verify info given themselves as mistakes do happen as it is an individuals
personal research.

I have no desire to fill in a template when doing look ups.

[MarkCDodd]

I had an example yesterday which prompted this whole thing.

Being over the other side of the world I rely on other's to visit and look at parish registers etc that have yet to be digitized.

If they are available on microfilm/fiche/electronic form then I have access to all of it via AIGS.

Hoping to resolve a brick wall on my wife's side I asked sombebody to check some Norfolk records a few months ago.

They gave me what looked like a complete transcription.

Somebody else contacted me on another forum yesterday and posted a complete transcription.

It had the groom's abode which was missing from the first transcription which showed that it was the wrong family I had just wasted time invetigating.

No anger towards the first transcriber. They just put down what they thought was relevant.

When we teach beginner genealogists at AIGS we introduce templates from the start.

We realise that if somebody has been doing research a particular way for years then the won't budge from what they are comfortable with.

[Northern Lass]

moving this to the gen discusion

[Northern Lass]

I like to look at that information that others give myself to verify
it for myself. As even the IGI can make errors.

The archives are very good at sending copies of the records for a charge.
Any look ups anyone does is in good faith and at their own time expense etc.
And a thank you is always good too.
But the key here is never rely on others research but look it up yourself or obtain the
info yourself to verify.

[Antie Em]

Yes Mark - I too teach beginners to use templates, because if they don't they might miss off relevant information. However, when someone has been doing this for a number of years, you should know exactly what you're looking for.

Looking at marriages for the last 15 years, I don't know about other countries, but here, I have never seen a birth place, a bride or grooms mother's name or a previous husband or wife's name on a marriage.

I certainly wouldn't want to use a template, you'd be lucky to get two of those on an A4 sheet, and then there's the printer ink. If any information is missed off, a re-lookup can probably be done the following week.

As NL says, these lookups are done as a favour. If anyone is unhappy with the information I have transcribed, then they are welcome to either get a certificate from the register office or pay the archives to send it to them.

[MarkCDodd]

Nodoby in their right mind would criticise somebody who does a lookup for them!

God forbid!

Australian marriage certificates include both parents names, including the maiden names, the fathers occupation, place of birth and a myriad other things not on English certificates.

British non-conformist marriage records often contain much of the information on my template.

Australian death certificates include the names of all the children and their approximate ages, how long the person has lived in AUstralia and in particular the State/Territory they are in at the time of death, the name of their last wife and where/when they married etc etc.

So there is a huge amount of information on some certificates and church records.

[grangers14]

A new person adding to BCC, I think, finds it hard enough as it is.
There is an awfuil lot of work that goes into a person starting new on there.
The format as it is I think is easy to the eye for marriages. Using the drop down boxes to add christenings etc work well.
Whats on BCC is a collection of peoples work and if something is wrong or incomplete you are able to contact that person, generally. But mistakes can be made we are all human.

I do understand what you are saying about the transcription you got though.
When I have been to the records office I print off templates from Staffordshire Uni that are just like the parish records you see. For ease for myself actually that I dont forget to add any info and then it goes straight in my files! Have a look here,
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/schools/humanit ... eeform.htm

Jo