Help:Starting pages for people, places, or surnames/Guidance
From Genealogy
[edit] Introduction
The 83,914 pages of this wiki have been (and more will be) created in various ways. There is at least one way to automate the process a little using a GEDCOM, and we are working on making that even easier and more bulletproof.
Pages that usually need manual creation will include:
- "place" pages (see Genealogy:Model place page),
- "surname" pages (simply "[[... surname]]"; see Help:Surname for shortcuts to inserting content), and
- "people" pages - mostly single pages carrying the name of a single individual but with links to as many of that person's relatives (and important dates and places) as are practicable.
[edit] Check whether the article exists
If you want to start a page for an individual or a place, please save yourself and other researchers time by ensuring that there is not already a page with that name. Type the name in the "Find" box, click "Search", and see what hits you get. Check out any that may be your person or place. (If it's under four letters long, the Search may not work; if so, try adding " surname" for a bigger search term.)
[edit] Use existing page if there is one
If you find a page that has the right name and you don't know if the dates are right but they could be, we suggest that you use that page as if it were the right one. (It will be much easier to copy your additions to another page later, if a difference is found, than to merge two pages about the same individual.) Note your differences on it or on its talk page.
[edit] Create the page from a link
If your person turns up in the text of another page, start there. If it is not in the form of a link, make it one (with the "Internal link" button above the edit box or by putting double square brackets around the name and the dates, and editing the text if necessary, so that it is in this form: [[Firstname Middlenamesifany Lastname (year-year)]] - with "?" for unknown year; then saving the page). Click on that link and start typing in the edit box of the page the link takes you to.
[edit] Start a really "new" person page
So your individual 's name does not appear as the page name of, or anywhere else on, an existing page? Then you may create a link to the individual's name and dates on another page (such as your User page or a subpage of that - which helps you keep track of which articles you have started; see http://genealogy.wikia.com/wiki/Help_talk:Starting_pages_for_people%2C_places%2C_or_surnames#Use _subpage_of_your_User_page for easy instructions), then preview or save it, then click on the link you have created. A blank "edit" box will open ready for text to be added. You will probably save much time in adding later detail by starting with one of the existing pre-styled page forms; see below or Help:Model page for person.
[edit] Start a really "new" place page
If you want to start a page for a place and that place does not exist either through an existing page or a link on an existing page, then follow the instructions above for a person, but use the Model place page as your model or copy the outline of another nearby place so that some of the categories and other links will be the same.
[edit] Create links on a convenient page
If you need a place to start, a good place is your User page (because it is so easy to reach from anywhere on the site) or a subpage of it (e.g. User:yourusername/New pages), where you just add a link. Or you can use this page - in the space at the bottom. Wherever you choose, just type the name of your article, surround it with double square brackets, and preview or save. When the revised page appears, you should see a link with the title you just inserted. If the link is in blue, then the article already exists; you can go to the article and add any information you feel it needs. If the link is in red, the article doesn't exist yet; click the link and you will end up on a blank page, where you can insert whatever you want according to whatever format you want.
[edit] Select a template or model to save time
The most common article on this site is one describing the family history of a given person. Different genealogists have different needs when it comes to writing person articles. Some wish to include only the most basic information. Others need a more complex presentation. Some users have highly specific, and perhaps unique, requirements. The input boxes on Help:Model page for person and Help:Alternative types of page for individual utilize standard templates designed to meet a range of requirements. You may choose any of them depending on your need. Also, if you have specialized requirements, you are welcome to create a template of your own that would incorporate those specialized needs. If you need help with that, place a message on Forum:Help desk, and there will probably be someone reading that who can help you.
[edit] Use this space if you don't want to use your user pages
- Peter John Skirrow (1947-?)
- Joseph Francis Rock (1884-1962)
- George Washington (1732-1799)
- Percy Stanley Marks (1911-1988)
- Enos Curtis (1783-1856)
- Tamma Durfee (1813-1885)
- Ruth Franklin (1790-1848)
- John Manning (1720-?)
- Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938)
- John Renner (c1803-1858)
- Christopher McIntosh (1961-?)
- Zebudah Hayden Potter (1734-1767)
- Savages New England Register
- Charles Boyton (1861-1925)
- Captain William Henry Dobbs (1716-1781)
- Cristobal Falcon (1750-1834)