How to improve to these no dates - no family members profiles?

+6 votes
318 views

What do you do with a profile like this? No date, no family members, and just a birth place with no source. I like the challenge of the no dates profiles but ones like this are a little TOO challenging! ;) 

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Howe-545

WikiTree profile: Elizabeth Gilman
in WikiTree Help by E Childs G2G6 Pilot (133k points)
There are clues from the parents linked to Elizabeth's profile.  Her parents were married in 1712.  Her father died in 1735.  Her mother was born in 1687.  You may not be able to pinpoint Elizabeth's birthdate, but you can calculate the era in which she was likely born.  This range may help you to find a source.
Thank you! Perhaps I'm just not clever enough for this detective stuff, lol!

You can always post a question about the profile, re dates/locations etc. on the bulletin board on the right hand side of the profile page so the PM sees it.  Or email them directly using the [send private message] link on the left.

2 Answers

+9 votes
 
Best answer
I'm wondering if you meant to connect to a different profile (?), because Elizabeth Howe does have parents, and although there are no sources on either profile there is a marriage date, and the maternal grandfather appears to be well-sourced which would hopefully give you clues as to where to look for sources for the parents and maybe Elizabeth?

In situations as you described where there is basically nothing on the profile apart from a name and the name might be a common one, I first check the Changes tab, just to see if originally there were extra details but for some reason the profile has effectively been 'orphaned'.

Check with the profile manager if there is one.

If there is still nothing, then I think it is appropriate to either turn that profile into someone with the same or similar name who you perhaps can connect to the whole tree, or merge them into an existing profile with the same or similar name.
by John Atkinson G2G6 Pilot (620k points)
selected by E Childs

Actually cut all the above, as they appear to be duplicates here is the duplicate for Israel Howe so it's a matter of merging the parents first and then Elizabeth, though there are two profiles for Elizabeth Howe

Good catch, John!
On your original answer, John, isn't there a place to put profiles that can be reused by someone (not this exact person but one such as you described turning into someone else with the same name).  Can you tell us how that designation is applied to the profile?

Cindy, you might be talking about the Unknowns Project, who do recycle profiles but under quite strict guidelines.

See here and here

Yep, exactly.  Thank you.
+4 votes
If you look below the comments on her profile (not in edit mode) you will find a rootsweb search link. If you click on that, you can then click on Family Search & there is a source there for her birth/christening with Israel & Judith as parents. Just copy & paste the info to her profile, tidy it up, & wallah, you have her DOB. Such a great tool that I've only discovered in the last 8 months or so.

If you don't already have Family Search membership, it's free & easy to join. They have a wealth of sources available.

When you sign in on any initial Search you'll be asked what you're looking for. I always shut down that page & go back & click on the Rootsweb FS button a 2nd time & it opens to the possible sources available for the person. Hope that helps.

All the best, Eileen
by Eileen Strikwerda G2G6 Mach 1 (16.9k points)
edited by Eileen Strikwerda
That's the exact thing I do all the time with the click, close, click. LOL
Thank you Eileen! I didn't realize you could search FamilySearch so easily - I've been manually searching all this time, lol!

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