Unconfigured Ad Widget

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Where do you keep your witnesses, boarders and informants?

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Where do you keep your witnesses, boarders and informants?

    Does anyone have any good systems for storing the names of all those peripheral people who's names come up from time to time but are not actually connected to your family by blood. I'm sure some of them probably have a tale to tell but I have not yet found a way of keeping track of them, except in my memory which occasionally says 'I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before'.

    I'm using Ancestry and Family Tree Maker so if anyone has any suggestions it would be much appreciated.
    Main research interests.. CAESAR (Surrey and London), GOODALL (London), SKITTERALL, WOODWARD (Middlesex and London), BARBER (Canterbury, Kent), DRAYSON (Canterbury, Kent), CRISP (Kent) and CHEESEMAN (Kent).

  • #2
    I have a few mini trees of family friends - in a will etc, but what I can't do is then easily synch back to FTM which is annoying.

    I add things to the gallery in ancestry and link to a fact, and I do add facts, and have added my own fact types.
    Carolyn
    Family Tree site

    Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
    Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

    Comment


    • #3
      If you add them as facts, are they then searchable later?
      Main research interests.. CAESAR (Surrey and London), GOODALL (London), SKITTERALL, WOODWARD (Middlesex and London), BARBER (Canterbury, Kent), DRAYSON (Canterbury, Kent), CRISP (Kent) and CHEESEMAN (Kent).

      Comment


      • #4
        I add them as custom facts if there isn’t a suitable one provided in the appropriate section eg. in the marriage details area, I created a fact called marriage witness and use it as many times as there are witnesses. Usually just two but I have got some English certificates where there are three and in one case four! If I know the relationship of a witness to either bride or groom I put that in brackets after their name.

        Comment


        • #5
          But can you search for a name later if it is just text in a custom fact? I can't find a way to search for that kind of detail in Ancestry or FTM.
          Main research interests.. CAESAR (Surrey and London), GOODALL (London), SKITTERALL, WOODWARD (Middlesex and London), BARBER (Canterbury, Kent), DRAYSON (Canterbury, Kent), CRISP (Kent) and CHEESEMAN (Kent).

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Gardengirl View Post
            If you add them as facts, are they then searchable later?
            I think so....I assume you mean on FTM? On the whole I don't find that FTM is that good on searching or reporting.
            Last edited by cbcarolyn; 12-06-20, 14:52.
            Carolyn
            Family Tree site

            Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
            Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Gardengirl View Post
              But can you search for a name later if it is just text in a custom fact? I can't find a way to search for that kind of detail in Ancestry or FTM.
              I think the answer is no in FTM, last time I was trying to do any custom reporting I uploaded my GEDCOM into rootsmagic!
              Carolyn
              Family Tree site

              Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
              Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

              Comment


              • #8
                Hhhmm, maybe I should try creating a spreadsheet? Columns for name, date and context? Then remember to use it!
                Main research interests.. CAESAR (Surrey and London), GOODALL (London), SKITTERALL, WOODWARD (Middlesex and London), BARBER (Canterbury, Kent), DRAYSON (Canterbury, Kent), CRISP (Kent) and CHEESEMAN (Kent).

                Comment


                • #9
                  I would still put them in ancestry - one day FTM might get better, or you could import GEDCOM to any other software. Best to do at the time.
                  Carolyn
                  Family Tree site

                  Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                  Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I've put observations (such as witnesses, occupation, address, etc) into the description for the event, or created a custom event. But I don't believe it is searchable within Ancestry (I'm not an FTM user).

                    You could create those persons in the tree as islands - ugh.

                    You could download the gedcom and search the gedcom - it's a text file and any text editor will open it and read it.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      For FTM or Ancestry you can create a Custom Fact. Add the witnesses and whether (S) signed or (X) made their mark.
                      I do this in Ancestry and synch to FTM.
                      Ancestry:

                      Ancestry tree Marriage and witnesses.JPG

                      On FTM Facts page will show like this:

                      FTM Marriage and Witnesses.JPG

                      On FTM you can make a Make lists - these are the divorces on my tree. You can ask for date facts, place of divorce etc etc to be added. I have just cut and pasted it but you can save to your computer or print it.

                      Divorce list.JPG
                      Kat

                      My avatar is my mother 1921 - 2012

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Ah, thanks for the visuals, Kat. The lists thing looks good, which menu is that in?
                        Main research interests.. CAESAR (Surrey and London), GOODALL (London), SKITTERALL, WOODWARD (Middlesex and London), BARBER (Canterbury, Kent), DRAYSON (Canterbury, Kent), CRISP (Kent) and CHEESEMAN (Kent).

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I'm very strange (in the sense of unusual) among you guys in that I do not have a traditional family tree, apart from a small one on GR and perhaps even smaller on Ancestry. My daughter informed me in the early days of my researching that she had "absolutely no interest in a dry tree. as a social scientist I'm interested in the details of how they lived".

                          So that was me told off!!

                          As a consequence, I keep everything in text form on my hard drive with everything I've been able to find about their lives.

                          But what I wanted to say on here is that I always try to look back in parish records before and after "my" couples' marriage to check all the witnesses on other certificates.

                          If the same name appears on several apparently unrelated marriages, then I assume that that witness is a "professional witness", and make a note of that in the record, as a hint to myself that there is probably no need to check any further. Sometimes the possible relationship pops up unexpectedly, eg as next door neighbour in a census.

                          Some of my ancestors walked miles to the "mother" parish church to get married, none of their family or friends might have been able to get that day off, so I've found both witnesses are professional witnesses ........... members of the church congregation who could sign their names, eg Parish Warden, Clerk, etc, and were paid a small amount to do it.

                          Rather sad to think of having no family or friends on that day.

                          Of course, I also record whether any of the party could sign their name or not.


                          My own parents had an extremely small wedding as her brother had died only about 6 weeks before. Their parents insisted they continue with the plans. But I only know the relationship of the witnesses from something Mum once told me. I know from censuses that neither of the witnesses lived close to either Mum or Dad! So I have no idea of the connection from one brief conversation. Hard lines, daughter!!
                          My grandmother, on the beach, South Bay, Scarborough, undated photo (poss. 1929 or 1930)

                          Researching Cadd, Schofield, Cottrell in Lancashire, Buckinghamshire; Taylor, Park in Westmorland; Hayhurst in Yorkshire, Westmorland, Lancashire; Hughes, Roberts in Wales.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Gardengirl View Post
                            Ah, thanks for the visuals, Kat. The lists thing looks good, which menu is that in?
                            have sent you a pm.
                            Kat

                            My avatar is my mother 1921 - 2012

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              you can go to the person report --> custom report --> items to include first item on top menu.

                              then you can select all individuals, but it does give you everyone regardless of whether they have that fact.

                              You can then export it and then open excel or google sheets and then filter. right click on the report.
                              Last edited by cbcarolyn; 12-06-20, 23:32.
                              Carolyn
                              Family Tree site

                              Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                              Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                              Comment


                              • #16
                                And you can save the report to keep re running it.
                                Carolyn
                                Family Tree site

                                Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                                Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                                Comment


                                • #17
                                  Played with the facts and they seem to work as above, but you do need to make sure you add the same labels if doing it in Ancestry as they are not saved. The exact case too.

                                  whereas in FTM they will be there on your list to choose.
                                  Carolyn
                                  Family Tree site

                                  Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                                  Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                                  Comment


                                  • #18
                                    People>>>Tree tab>>>at the bottom - Filter >>>Filter in >>>All facts - choose the fact>>> Under date dropdown I put description >>> is not blank>>> OK >>>apply >>>(back under the INDEX on LHS) save >> in the box that comes up give it a name and a colour code if you want. save again.

                                    If you have FTM 2019 you can print or save to excel. If you don't you would need to do a screenprint.

                                    You can make a list as Carolyn suggested but you can refine it so it does not give you 'everyone regardless of whether they have that fact'

                                    - it's all in the manual.- pull up the help on FTM
                                    Last edited by Katarzyna; 13-06-20, 01:16.
                                    Kat

                                    My avatar is my mother 1921 - 2012

                                    Comment


                                    • #19
                                      Originally posted by Katarzyna View Post
                                      People>>>Tree tab>>>at the bottom - Filter >>>Filter in >>>All facts - choose the fact>>> Under date dropdown I put description >>> is not blank>>> OK >>>apply >>>(back under the INDEX on LHS) save >> in the box that comes up give it a name and a colour code if you want. save again.

                                      If you have FTM 2019 you can print or save to excel. If you don't you would need to do a screenprint.

                                      You can make a list as Carolyn suggested but you can refine it so it does not give you 'everyone regardless of whether they have that fact'

                                      - it's all in the manual.- pull up the help on FTM
                                      In previous version you right click and save as CSV, and then open that in a spreadsheet, I don't think you can go straight to SS.

                                      Will give it a go - thanks Kat, I have never needed/required to do a report, so have not really explored.
                                      Last edited by cbcarolyn; 13-06-20, 08:59.
                                      Carolyn
                                      Family Tree site

                                      Researching: Luggs, Freeman - Cornwall; Dayman, Hobbs, Heard - Devon; Wilson, Miles - Northants; Brett, Everett, Clark, Allum - Herts/Essex
                                      Also interested in Proctor, Woodruff

                                      Comment


                                      • #20
                                        I have to say that all sounds like gobbledegook without having the actual software open at the same time but I will have another read later and match it to FTM at the same time.

                                        Thanks for your suggestions
                                        Main research interests.. CAESAR (Surrey and London), GOODALL (London), SKITTERALL, WOODWARD (Middlesex and London), BARBER (Canterbury, Kent), DRAYSON (Canterbury, Kent), CRISP (Kent) and CHEESEMAN (Kent).

                                        Comment

                                        Working...
                                        X