Family History 4 All

 Learn how to trace YOUR family tree.

Newsletter No.16 – February 2008.

www.Ancestry.co.uk

1. Our welcome message.

2. Featured Article – The Magic of Internet Message Boards By: Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook

3. Help wanted -

4. Latest news from www.Ancestry.co.uk

5. Next month’s article. 

1. Hi all,

Wednesday morning - 1am - I was sitting here in my office checking my websites and email etc. when the room started shaking violently! I thought an aircraft had crashed nearby... my Internet connection closed down an I wondered what on earth was happening. I ran into our bedroom expecting to find Carol in a state of shock - as I was - but thankfully she was sleeping soundly.

I turned on my radio to try and catch the news and it turned out that it was an Earthquake! The epicentre was about 30 miles away in north Lincolnshire. The effects were felt as far away as Holland. I hope I don't have to experience that again!

Hey, before I forget, whilst you are here, please sign the Guestbook and say Hi.

We have a very good article this month. I'm sure you'll be delighted with it, it's all about Internet message boards. Carol and I subscribe to several and find them very useful.

That's enough from me - enjoy your newsletter.

You have received this newsletter by subscribing from this or one of our 'sister' sites. Or it has been forwarded from a friend/relative etc. If it's the latter and you would like your own subscription, then please click here: Free Newsletter. Unsubscribe info can also be found on this page. Here's the link to our archives: archive.htm

I hope this message finds you all in good health. If you have an article or amusing story to share with us then please don’t be afraid to send it for publication…you can remain anonymous if you prefer but we want you all to feel you can contribute if you want to. Just send an with the words ‘Newsletter item’ in the subject box. And we will include it at the first opportunity, subject to editing, if necessary of course.

You will find lots of suitable Family History/Genealogy gifts here: Visit our store now.*

2. Featured Article:

The Magic of Internet Message Boards

By: Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook

The increasing popularity of the internet has offered many new chances for people to exchange information from all over the world. Message boards are one way this information is exchanged in everything from sports to medicine. However, it can also be a way you can increase your genealogy research. They allow you to communicate freely with people from all over in a public forum so that you can have the maximum number of people possible looking at the information you are requesting. This is a great way for you to be able to make contact with others that are interested in genealogy like you.

First of all, if you are going to post on a message board for any reason you should understand the consequences of what you post. Remember that information on a message board, no matter what kind, is essentially public. What you print there can be read by anyone and can be quoted then to anyone. So make sure that everything you write in any message you are going to post only has information in it that you are comfortable having anyone read or share with anyone else. In addition, keep in mind that with most message boards, the post is permanent once you hit the submit button. So you want to make sure you have no embarrassing typos or information you think you might regret. It is always going and worth your while to add that extra few minutes so you can review the message before you hit submit.

So once you know you want to post to a genealogy message board for information exchange, you need to make sure your posts are effective. It is important not to make your posts long and bogged down with a ton of information. When it comes to a message board post, more is less and less is more. Make sure what your post is detailed and concise rather than rambling and general. With a more specific and concise message you are more likely to get specific and helpful responses from others. If you are general with your post you will either get no responses or a ton of responses that may or may not have anything to do with the information you are after. If you are looking for a specific family member in your post, make sure you put in full names, birth dates, marriage dates, and death dates. Put down specific locations that you may have and even the names of parents or children. The more of this you have, the more likely you are to get actual meaningful information.

It may seem either obvious or silly, but good grammar and spelling are going to be important. People are much more likely to respond to a post that seems to have been put up by someone who is serious. In addition, if you use good grammar and punctuation, you are less likely to be misunderstood. You always want information to be precise and that is just one way to make sure that your information is indeed clear. Also, check for typos before you hit submit. Again, a typo, a misplaced comma, or just bad spelling can cause a real problem with your post if you are not careful. So just take a little extra time to make sure you are saying what you want to say.

Lastly, make sure you always write how you would want to be written to, which is sort of the golden rule of message boards no matter what the topic is. Make sure you always check your post regularly for replies. If someone does reply to you, acknowledge them in a timely fashion. If you don't have time to write back in detail right away at least drop them an email "thank you" to acknowledge receipt of their information. Courtesy is generally appreciated very much in any message board environment.

If you enjoy genealogy, then you probably already know that the internet is an invaluable resource. However, you can also use the internet to get in touch with people who may be sources for you as well. A good genealogy message board is a great way to get in touch with people that may be able to help you find information you are missing or to simply form a support system. Just make sure you are courteous and concise with your information and polite to your fellow message board members so that you will have a positive experience with genealogical message boards.

Article Source: http://www.familyhistoryarticles.com

About the Authors Paul Duxbury and Kevin Cook own www.amateur-genealogist.com and www.our-family-trees.co.uk two of the leading Genealogy Websites. In addition Paul owns a wide range of exciting websites which can be viewed at www.our-family-trees.co.uk

3. Help Wanted: Nothing in this month but last month Sue Maxey, nee Oldham, from Doncaster UK wrote:

Can anyone help me to find a Walter Trueman who was my Great grandfather. He was born at Ilkeston c. 1875. His father (my 2x great grandfather) could have been named Abraham Trueman.

Any Trueman information from the Ilkeston, Derbyshire area would be most appreciated.

 Thank you, Sue Maxey

Sue had several replies and is currently checking them out. Sue sends her regards and thanks to those who replied.

3a. I need your help!

Over the next few months I am going to upgrade this site.

I have no definite plans as yet but I do have a few ideas running through my head!

Don't worry, the massive amount of information that can be found FREE on this site will remain FREE and I intend to add lots more FREE information.

The site will still be easy to navigate and there will be no pop-ups/unders to distract you as some sites seem to prefer.

However the site is in need of a spring clean and that's where you come in. I'm looking for ideas for a new colour scheme to start with, so if anyone has any preferences, let me know and I'll consider them.

Also, if there is any content you would like to see, again let me know.

For example, would you like some free charts that you could print?

Could this newsletter be improved? Let me know. Is once a month enough? or can't you get enough of it!

Any ideas and/or comments would be very much appreciated.

4. Latest news from www.Ancestry.co.uk

"We’re proud to announce the launch of the Royal Naval Division (RND) Casualties record collection, which features details of more than 10,000 naval servicemen who fought on land in some of the fiercest battles of World War One.

In many cases you can discover a wealth of fascinating information - such as parents’ names, service history details, records of commendations or punishments and much more.

Want to search for family members in the Royal Naval Division Casualties records, but not ready to take out membership? Well, why not give Ancestry a try with Pay-Per-View credits? For just £6.95, you’ll get 12 credits – and they’re really easy to use. One credit pays for one record view, and you can search all our international records. Credits are valid for 14 days – but you can view all your purchased records again and again even after the credits have expired. Who knows what you’ll discover?

Who Do You Think You Are? Live is taking place at London’s Olympia on 2nd- 4th May 2008. And with our 2 for 1 ticket offer, you can get 2 tickets for just £20.

We’ll be at the show to help you with your family history research. And if you sign up for a UK annual membership while you’re there, we’ll give you a 20% discount!"

This months featured Ancestry member: Sarah Robinson

After a lot of detective work, Sarah found out that her Great Grandmother, Sarah Jane Woosnam, emigrated from Wales to Philadelphia – starting a whole new branch of the family tree. She also discovered that the golfer Ian Woosnam was her fourth cousin four times removed.

Last year, Sarah arranged a family get-together in Newtown, which was attended by over 100 Woosnams, and her handwritten family tree is now over 40 feet long. Good work!

5. Next Months Article: Create Your Own Family Tree (Genealogy) Website By: andrewj

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That’s all for this month folks…I hope you enjoyed this months newsletter. And in case you forgot earlier - Please sign the  Guestbook. See you next month.

Jim. Editor

PS. Please forward this newsletter to your friends/relatives, if they are interested in family history, with our compliments.

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 Jim Ackroyd. Address: 12 Avondale Road. Doncaster. UK. DN2 6DE

Take a look at our other web sites here: http://jamesackroyd.com

 PS. For our UK subscribers. If you like to have a flutter on the National Lottery, Use this link: http://playlottery.at/A1Shopping I buy my lotto tickets online as it’s much more convenient. (It is normal to find the site closed on Wednesday and Saturday evenings GMT. Just try the next day)

P.P.S. If you like quizzes - Take a look at our new quiz site: www.quiz4free.com Hope you like it. You may also be interested in old buses. Lots of photos here: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Bus-Photos-On-Disc