This is a list of various instructions that try to answer the question “How do I – ?
Please note that these helps relate only to the utilization of this website and of the PFWW organisation.
- find things on this website?
- break down, break through or work around a “brick wall” in my Pemberton research?
- add my business to the Pemberton Business listings pages?
- become an editor so I can add my family history to the PFWW site?
- get answers to other questions?
There is a search box in the extreme upper right corner of every page right below the text size controls. Enter some keywords there and click the Search button.
break down, break through or work around a “brick wall” in my Pemberton research?
- The “big picture” is important and will give you guidance and inspiration. Zoom yourself out into space and look down on the earth and realize that you are not alone. There are literally hundreds of Pembertons just like you who are working on the world wide Pemberton picture puzzle. Then put your mind to work finding ways to connect with the ones that are working on the parts of that puzzle closest to the part you are working on. This was the vision of the founders of the PFWW association and it should become a part of your vision also. If we all work together the brick walls will simply disappear – well, most of them at least.
- Invite every Pemberton and especailly every Pemberton researcher to become an active member of the PFWW association. The collection and publication of Pemberton data is the single most effective means of finding our way through brick walls.
- Be sure your genealogical profile is filled out completely on this PFWW website so others interested in your branch can find you.
- Search for others in your tree. You can find instructions in this “How To” section on that.
- Genealogical DNA is the single most effective way to get through a brick wall. The down side is that its effectiveness depends on the chances of linking with another branch that has significant documentary data. DNA samples are a bit costly, but when the potential value of a DNA sample is considered against the price of annual memberships in various genealogical web sites, it seems much more reasonable. If you haven’t tried this route, you will want to seriously consider it. There is a General Fund in the Pemberton DNA Project dedicated to help reduce the cost. If your brick wall involves an immigrant, you will be especially interested in trying the DNA method of finding your ancestors on the other side of the pond.
- Use the “cluster concept” in your research. If you haven’t already done this, go back to your wills, deeds and census data and look for recurring names (both given and surnames) of fellow travellers. People always work and live with their best friends (which sometimes includes family). See who was living next door or down the street in the census records and watch for those names on will and deeds and other family records, then see if you can find their genealogy/family history that someone has researched.
- Work on collateral lines. This is also a cluster concept. Find cousins and the wives of your family members and find their records. The chances are rather good that they will lead you back to your line again.
- Do a search on the PFWW website (upper right corner of every screen) on brick walls and see what other ideas come to you.
- What many of us have done, when all else fails, it to realize that we are working on a picture puzzle and that when we can’t find the piece we are focused on we can at least help with the big puzzle, knowing that eventally the focus will return to the place we are and the right pieces will fall into place. So become involved in Pemberton extraction and publication efforts, especailly in those geographical and time periods of particular interest to you. If you can’t find an extraction project for your time and place, start one. This “How To” section will tell you how.
add my business to the Pemberton Business listings pages?
Send and email to the technologist@pembertonfamily.com with the text you want to describe your business and the internet link (URL) to it.
become an editor so I can add my family history to the PFWW site?
Send an email to the historian@pembertonfamily.com explaining what you would like to do. It can be a brief message. He will change your authority level so you can enter your data directly onto the website.
get answers to questions that aren’t here?
Please contact the technologist@pembertonfamily.com.
