The Caldenmere Family Tree is built using Gramps, a genealogy system designed to preserve much more than names and dates. It can seem a little different at first, especially if you have used simpler family-tree websites before.
You do not need to understand everything in Gramps to help. If you know something about our family, have an old photograph, recognize somebody in a picture, or find a record that tells us something new, you can contribute.
The most important idea
Gramps does not store genealogy as one enormous family tree. Instead, it keeps different kinds of information as separate records and connects them together.
Mary Thompson is a Person.
Her birth is an Event.
Morden Hospital is the Place connected to that event.
A historical record describing the hospital might be a Source.
The particular page or entry supporting our information is a Citation.
Once this idea clicks, much of Gramps starts making considerably more sense.
Start by finding someone
If you are new to the tree, the easiest way to begin is simply to look around. Search for yourself, your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or another person you know well.
Look at the information already recorded. You may immediately notice a missing date, an incomplete name, a place you recognize, or something that needs more research.
You don't need to know everything
Partial information is useful. If you know that someone was born in Morden but do not know the hospital, record Morden. If you know something happened around 1950 but do not know the exact year, do not invent an exact date.
Tell us how you know
Whenever possible, preserve the reason we believe something is true. Birth certificates, obituaries, newspaper articles, cemetery records, family Bibles, photographs and other records can all help establish where information came from.
Even family knowledge has a source. If Grandpa personally told you where his parents were married, that is worth recording rather than allowing the information to become an unexplained fact generations later.
Photographs and documents
Old family photographs and documents can be enormously valuable. When adding one, include whatever context you know: who is pictured, approximately when it was taken, where it came from, and who currently owns the original if known.
Do not worry if you cannot identify everybody. An unidentified photograph preserved today can be identified by another relative tomorrow.
When records disagree
Do not simply replace one version because another source says something different. Conflicting evidence is normal in genealogy.
Preserve the evidence and, when appropriate, record the uncertainty. A later researcher may have information that explains the disagreement.
Before making a major change
Fixing a spelling mistake or adding a missing fact is one thing. Removing a person, merging records, changing established relationships, or replacing well-sourced information can affect many other parts of the tree.
If something looks seriously wrong and you are unsure how to correct it, ask first. We would much rather investigate it together than lose useful information.
Ready?
You can learn most of Gramps simply by exploring. Nobody expects you to become a genealogist before contributing to the family tree.
Open the Family Tree → Full Gramps Manual