Scrambled Jochem, Yoakum, Yocum, Yokums, etc. What to do? What to do?

Question

There are at least six profiles for Matthias Yoakum in various states of research. Some contain very competent research. But there are two possible lineages used. One has been proved with actual facts, while the other is based on largely disproved work.  Here is one that I have been working on:

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Yoakum-40

No one ever said I was very tactful, so I would appreciate advice on herding all these folks into one profile. (Don't forget to look for Matthias Jochem, too!)  Then the children need to be collected and sorted out, too, especially with Matthias having a confirmed first wife who was mother to at least two sons.

My usual approach is to charge ahead and damn the torpedoes and change everything to suit myself.  Other researchers on this line might want to strangle me. Advice here?

Thank you, Cari Yocom

Comments

Thank you for working this family, Cari! I have a Barbara Yoakum in my past whom I suspect might be a granddaughter of Matthias. So, if you happen to notice an extra Barbara floating around PA/KY in the 1700s without a husband, then John Hanks might need her.  :)

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He is my 8th Great Grandfather. I appreciate all the work and thought you have put into this!

Answer 1

One of your first steps (before proposing merges) should be to determine the appropriate LNAB. After you determine the best LNAB, find (or, if necessary, create) a profile for him with that LNAB, and merge all of the other profiles to that profile.

I see that most of these profiles have "Yoakum" as the LNAB. That is very likely the name he went by in Virginia or Kentucky, but I am very sure that if he was born in Germany his birth name was not Yoakum (nor Yocum).  The German records lead me to think that his LNAB was Jochem.

Comments

Hi Ellen,

As you can see on Yoakum 40's profile, the AKA is Jochem. That is the name on the earliest record. I felt that it was easier to find and merge all the various Yoakums before a final merge to Jochem which is the goal.

Yes, his marriage and the christening of his first two sons is in Germany and is under Jochem.

Thanks,

Cari

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Well, the guidance that I absorbed early on in my WikiTree career says that we should always try to minimize the number of merges and LNAB changes for any one profile -- in order to reduce the number of redirects that will occur when weblinks point to an old profile ID. What was drummed into me was:

1. Determine the best LNAB first.
2. Find the lowest-numbered profile for that LNAB. If there are multiple LNAB spellings, it's best to project-protect that profile in order to prevent merges from going in the wrong direction.
3. Merge all of the other profiles for the person directly into that selected profile.

Answer 2

Hi Cari,

I'm new to genealogy trying to trace back my paternal tree. However, my mother is a Yoakum. My great grandmother Bessie Yoakum (Mormon) did a complete family tree for the Yoakum's and it's sealed into the Mormon archives in Salt Lake City.

I have a Matthias Jochem (1653 - 1751) married to Eleanor. I'm not sure if this helps, but wanted to put it out there.

Thanks,

Terry Edelmon

Comments

Hi Terry,

or should I say Hi Cuz! If you follow the link in the first message to Matthias Yoakum (Jochem-10), you will see your Matthias with much updated information that your great grandmother didn't have available. Don't add your information as duplicates but connect to the existing Yoakum tree. (I work on them almost  every day trying to improve the sources and add family members.) The goal is to have one person, not several individual trees. Welcome!