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Topic: Biographies on FH websites (Read 527 times)
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julianb
RootsChat Aristocrat
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Posts: 1348
Portrait of the genealogist as a young man
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I've collected lots of data on my family, including interesting snippets, and I am now wanting to pull this information together into a better narrative on some of my key antecedents, for inclusion on my FH website.
In summary, I want to change the balance between data and narrative on my site.
I'd like advice and ideas from others about:
(a) ways to lay the information out so as not to make it look like a long list of text
(b) whether too include illustrative material. eg one of My GG Grandfathers was a Master Miller, so should I include pictures of mills or Mill machinery/conditions from the appropriate time, even though they weren't "his"
(c) how much to include about sibilings and descendants
(d) how much to stick to known facts and how much to get into interpretation and discussion (of course acknowledging that this is what I am doing)
Grateful for others' experiences and views about what has worked on sites you have visited.
JULIAN
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Essex - Carter, Danns, Mason, Middleditch, Pond, Poole, Rose, Sorrill, Surry, Theobold Kent - Luetchford Nottinghamshire - Baker, Dunks, Woodward, Price, Priestley Suffolk - Rose Surrey - Baker, Bedel, Bransden, Carter, Coleman, Gibbs, Luetchford, Quinton Sussex - Gibbs, Langridge Wiltshire - Brice, Rumble http://genbires.blogspot.com/http://genbires-networking.blogspot.com/Any census info in this post is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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Roobarb
RootsChat Senior
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Posts: 465
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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No experience of this but I always find that pictures nicely break up what, as you say, can be a long list of text in any document. It's interesting to see even if not directly related. 
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Bell, Salter - Devon, Middlesbrough. Lickess- North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough. Etherington - North Yorks and Durham. Barker- North Yorks, Crooks- Durham, Forster- North Yorks/Durham, Newsam, Pattison, Proud - North Yorks
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Gadget
RootsChat Marquessate
 Online
Posts: 15750
My Mum made me pretty frocks
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Hi Julian
I know you've visited my website (see the bottom of this posting for the link ) and you have probably noticed that I have tried to balance my narratives with photographs and other documentary material. Eye candy, maybe, but it is easier on the eye than great wadges of unbroken text. I also used a serif typeface (Times New Roman and variations) as it has been shown to be much easier to read body text in this face than in sans serif (Arial, etc.).
I decided to split the narratives up into 2-3 generation groups, so that each of my great grandparents were discussed with some information about their children and their parents. I plan to do this with the preceeding generations as well but the further back one goes, the less nice 'juicy' info one has 
Writing these narratives wasn't easy and my first attempts were pretty stilted. In the end I decided to read through everything and then put it aside and just write - checking dates, etc. as needed. Everything was factual or family recollections; using local or general social history to add context. These were acknowledged.
It's not perfect yet (will it ever be? ) but I have had a massively positive response both from Rchatters and others - 1400 hits in 6 weeks ain't bad.
As you use NOF, it's easy to create a seperate page for each family and subsequent generations.
Hope this helps
Gadget
http://some-ancestors.rootschat.net/
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Berlin-Bob
Global Moderator
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 4976
by My Daughter. Chatting to find her Roots !
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Hi Julian,
this is an ongoing project for me. I started off by putting up everything I knew, telegram style, and then trying to make a narrative out of it.
Every so often, I will read a page, and then think "I can express that better" and re-write it.
Every new version is an improvement, but I am still not happy with a lot of my website pages.
I agree that images (photos, ,maps, thumbnails of documents, etc, etc) help to break up the masses of text and I'm almost happy with the biography of my Grandfather (in that respect), but I've still a long way to go
Bob
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Searching for Coleman, Moore, Kallnung in London; Margulies, Remenyi in E. Europe; Ancestors of Hessie Stevenson-Coleman-Baxter (Ireland, 1861) and, of course, any other ancestors for my web-site http://boco.rootschat.net All Census Data included in this post is Crown Copyright (see: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) |
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Roobarb
RootsChat Senior
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Posts: 465
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Re the font, I am advised by the experts at work that we use Arial because it is easier for dyslexics to read and that the best font for them is Comic Sans. Must say I think it looks a bit messy but if it works for the majority ........
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Bell, Salter - Devon, Middlesbrough. Lickess- North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough. Etherington - North Yorks and Durham. Barker- North Yorks, Crooks- Durham, Forster- North Yorks/Durham, Newsam, Pattison, Proud - North Yorks
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kerryb
RootsChat Marquessate
Offline
Posts: 9009
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Hi Julian,
this is an ongoing project for me. I started off by putting up everything I knew, telegram style, and then trying to make a narrative out of it.
Every so often, I will read a page, and then think "I can express that better" and re-write it.
Every new version is an improvement, but I am still not happy with a lot of my website pages.
I agree that images (photos, ,maps, thumbnails of documents, etc, etc) help to break up the masses of text and I'm almost happy with the biography of my Grandfather (in that respect), but I've still a long way to go
Bob
Hi Julian
I go along with what Bob says, I have written pages about various aspects of different members of my families where the information has come to light and is interesting. However it is a work in progress. In fact during a sleepless night this week I have completely reorganised one part of my website which I am not happy about - local history, so will be working on that when I have time.
I decided my writing was so stilted and am having such problems writing up a page about my grandmother, I found a course with the OU that I am just starting called Writing your family history.
I'll let you know any useful tips along the way!
Kerry
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.ukSearching for my family - Baldwin - Sussex, Middlesex, Cork, Pilbeam - Sussex, Harmer - Sussex, Terry - Surrey, Kent, Rhoades - Lincs, Roffey - Surrey, Traies - Devon & Middlesex & many many more to be found on my website .... www.kerrysfamilyhistory.co.uk |
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