quality or quantity - when to add a profile to WikiTree?

Question

I've been reading the G2Gs about proper sourcing, and making sure all duplicates are dealt with etc; but have a more fundamental question.

At what point do you add a person to this wonderful site? I don't want to clutter it up with half-finished profiles but sometimes can't finish it as info is missing. Publishing the "nearly done" may find someone who has the vital peice of the jigsaw, but may not.

I'm a wife missing for William Smith - not my direct ancestor, but a pretty big hole in his profile (and his life at the time!) I know enough for me to consider it ok to add him, but there are others in my off-line tree with much sketchier details that can be the only link bewteen generations.

 

Comments

+ 1, Alison Wilkins. Real nice profile about William Smith.

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Thanks GeneJ, i like to tell the story in more than the facts, but not get too flowery with the words. It's the scientist battling with the historian in me

 

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A definate profile of the week contestant when it is more finished.

Answer 1

The general rule I use is that if I have a primary source (e.g., a name mentioned in an ancestor's will) or reliable secondary source (e.g., a name mentioned in a census record or church birth record) that provides a name and a general time frame as to when/where the person lived, I will add them to Wikitree.

Here is a good example of this - my grandmother, Barbara Borkovic, apparently had a brother named George:

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Borkovic-8

He is listed in a secondary source, as there is a baptismal record in St. Nicholas Church in Millvale, Allegheny, Pennsylvania for George Borkovic, the son of Anton Borkovic and Mary Kralj, born February 21, 1903.

I have not found any other records mentioning George, and his name does not appear in the Pennsylvania Death Records, 1906-1924 or in his father's 1907 estate record. As such, he most likely died as a very young child before 1906. 

Even though I only have one source for George, I chose to add him to Wikitree - in hopes that someone else might come across another record mentioning him.   

Comments

Thanks for the answer Ray,

The people I have in mind as being a bit thin on the ground are, usually, women that I know as Mrs .... but havn't been able to get at a maiden name.

There are also those "died before 1911 children" that are referred to in passing on the census as having been born alive, but since died, and only the number of them recored - i note them in my off-line tree but don't exepct to find much.. although - who knows.

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Let's see - I definitely add women even when I don't know their maiden name.  I see this a lot in census records and death records.

For example, I have struggled to find the name of my brother-in-law's paternal grandmother.  I know that her name is Eliza, born in Tennessee in 1894, from the 1930 Census, and that her husband is widowed in the 1940 Census:

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-211941

I created a profile for her though, as I know for sure that she had several children.

In the case of the children listed in the 1900 Census, I do not create profiles for the unknown children who are listed in "number of children born" but are not listed as "number of living children" when this is the only piece of information I have on a person.  In this case, you only have evidence that a child existed and the identity if the child's mother.  You would have to speculate on everything else.

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Very helpful, thank you.

I like your Unknown profile too - says what it needs to say with the sources and conjecture, will unashamedly steal the idea. 

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I appreciate your answer and the link you included. It provides insight to many of us that are still learning the ropes on this Great Website

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Hey Marty!  

Thanks for the upvote!  That profile still holds 8 years later, as I still have only found this one record of George. I am glad that he is connected to my family though, as my Grandma probably helped take care of her little brother before he passed away.

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Thank You for the Thank You Ray!

   It is validating to know that profiles are less valid when there there is a lack of reliable sourcing.

I find that with the community approach that another member may have additional information and happily improve the profile.

Answer 2

I would avoid creating a profile without sufficient information or a source to back it up.  I think you handled the subject well in the biography.  You might find information in future research to create a profile later or else someone may find the line that has documentation to create a profile.  That is the benefit of this site and it's collaborative purpose.  :-)

Answer 3

Hi Alison,

My opinion is that there is absolutely no point in waiting until a profile is "nearly done"...

Part of the purpose of Wikitree is to collaborate on research; as you say another researcher might already have the missing piece of the puzzle you are looking for and not even realize it. If not, there is nothing harmed by adding the profile.

Specific 'areas for further research' can be included in profiles when information is missing or when better substaniation of a fact is needed. A good example is a marriage record that identifies a person as a widow/er but no information is known about the previous spouse.

Putting a profile out for scrutiny can also help mistakes get untangled sooner. No matter how hard we try to be accurate and thorough, I think we all get misled by the sources sometimes.

Lastly, very few profiles are ever really 'done' - new evidence is constantly becoming available as more sources are indexed, catalogued, and digitized.

Comments

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the reply. I had gone round in circles trying to find a way of marking records as "done" and asked on both ancetry & RootsMagic forums. The answers came back the same as your - they are never really done, but i have found a way of coming to a natural halt - having activley searched to get as much as possible from my regular sites & sources, I know mark them as "moved on to the next".

I think i need to get WikiTree in my "to do list" twice - once as a general search early on - is the person already on here (so far none of mine have) and then come back when the basics have been done (birth, marrige, death & censuses which bring out the family members) to create the profile, by then I'll have found any holes and know what questions to ask.

Answer 4

I typically post them when I have at least one semi legitmate source. Death Certificates are pretty reliable though they are not perfect. Though im also typically not really willing to create a profile without knowing a maiden last name. Trying to find duplicates with unknown is not really always relistic.