" A Perfect Profile," please look don't touch!

Question

We've all seen museum-quality work or perhaps have visited an archeological site- but have you seen this  beautiful example of a gateway ancestor's profile? This is a beauty; please take a look.

 And do say thank you to the folks who put it together...if not "One of the Seven Wonders of the World" then perhaps one of the 'Perfect Profiles" of WikiTree!

I'm inspired.

Comments

So depressing that even the well-born girls of the time were essentially auctioned off like cattle in whatever served as the debutante ball of the time. No agency and all you are remembered for is what your husband(s) did and for producing 'issue'.

Why does "Sutton's Lords and Masters..." credit Patricia when Stephen Wainwright did the work? And it should be linked if this is where they took the info from.

http://www.suttonbeauty.org.uk/suttonhistory/lordsandmasters/

or better yet go right to his sources

http://www.suttonbeauty.org.uk/suttonhistory/researchsources/

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It is beautiful, but why is someone who lived in Virginia tagged with King Philip's War when it was fought in New England?

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Depressing also are the assignments of class or "what constitutes class" to people of whatever gender. I don't acknowledge the term "well born" or "well bred" as I feel that it lowers human beings to breeding stock just as a thoroughbred compared to a plow horse.

Answer 1

curious what/who is the source for her title as Lady.

Comments

I thought the same.

Answer 2

It is beautiful!!

Answer 3

It is very nice but I would never say "don't touch," since we have a collaborative tree! :-)

Comments

It's not my work-so no harm intended, Natalie!

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Natalie, I note that the source formatting has now been improved so the profile looks neat and tidy too.

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All good! Oh yes, the sources look great!

Answer 4

I commented but then I thought a bit more. History will always be an interpretation  based on  available evidence and the biases of the writer. The perfect profile is impossible.

Answer 5

Nicely written and sourced. I'd like to see the presentation of the sources at the end a little more consistent in formatting....just saying....

Comments

Agree.

The source list does not comply with Evidence Explained guidelines.  Harsh, but true.  I'm only commenting on this (and being blunt) as it was offered as the 'perfect profile'.

I do like the formatting as it is nicely presented and it is well on the way to being a lovely profile but, until the source list is correctly formatted to EE standards (or to any referencing standard, being honest), it isn't perfect.

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Disappointed that the only sources are books written about the various families.  No primary doucments are referenced., so no it's not a perfect profile.

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Well spotted.  I just glossed over the profile and didn't critique the source list.

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I was just thinking about source 6 and the random bold source and  bullet point etc. at the end. If something is presented as "perfect" I would expect these minor things to be fixed.

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I am feeling for the profile managers at this point who, while the 'criticism' is constructive and I think thoughtfully done, have not invited the wider community to comment :)

Thinking about the source list... while the guidelines point us in the right direction (to Evidence Explained), perhaps a (future) elegant solution is to have a full style guide (like you see at universities).

Here's an example:

UniSA Harvard

That's an extreme example but a 'wiki' I think would be incredibly useful.  I'm currently creating an EndNote library to EE standards and, while it's extremely time consuming to create, once it's done, it's done.  Having a WikiTree-specific style guide would make it easier on members who are unfamiliar with referencing standards.  You wouldn't expect a university student to reference perfectly without one.

While the site does have links to Evidence Explained, it is not a perfect source as the forum constantly refers back to the book (fair enough too) and, as it is American in origin, often does not contain enough information for international users.

Just a thought...

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You are quite right, Tamara. The profile managers (or the contributors) did not offer this as the "perfect profile" and thus really shouldn't be criticized. My thoughts were just to offer an example of what could be done rather than the slap dash entries that often appear- no offense intended to anyone.

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Hi Dorothy,

Of course you meant for no offence and, I think, none of us do :)

I understand what you mean about the 'slap dash' entries as I regularly bump in to them and I try to improve on them where I can.  I've decided to add "This profile is under construction" to a lot of my own profiles while I create citations and find where I've put that elusive hard copy (box? folder? lost in a move?).

My motivation was to clarify that the citations do need work and I didn't want a new member to use those citations as an example of what should be done.

I'd really love to see a citation style guide.  It would be so helpful to members who lack citation skills.

All the best!

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Hi Tamara

I would love to see how you have developed an EE referencing style in EndNote.  I have toyed with doing that myself, but never really found the time to persevere.

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We had a discussion about using Zotero recently.http://www.wikitree.com/g2g/487868/citation-managers-and-wikitree-zotero-computer-wizards
Vivienne Caldwell set up a free space page with a pdf of instructions www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Zotero

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Hi John,

EndNote is a little finicky when it comes to history citations.  It's great for APA etc but for the extra information you need in the equivalent of a history footnote (what I do here with my citations) you do need to 'tweak' it occasionally.

I see you're Australian so my tweaking could suit you.  As EndNote creates both footnotes and a bibliography, my WikiTree EndNote library is being tweaked to produce footnotes as the bibliography for an easy cut and paste.  

I've never used Zotero (thanks for the suggestion, Helen) so I can't comment on the differences.  I did notice that the OP of the post she linked to did have the odd problem with it.  I think every referencing program does require a little diligence in the initial stages.

I might toy with the idea of setting up a free space to post my citation suggestions for Australian users.  I've started posting them on G2G but a free space makes more sense (the more I think of it).

If you think this might be useful, let me know.

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I am going to add this to my favorites - I see that some like one source format and some like another - seems to run different in different projects I have observed so far - I do know I am not consistent yet although I do try and get some sources in there - a lot of mine are not yet pretty at all - I hope to go back and fix them but I get off on one branch and it seems forever until I get back to the one left behind - I figure as long as I keep trying and making them at least readable I am going to find it easier to do as I learn - Hope one day most of mine look fairly decent

Answer 6

I did look at this profile, can you tell me what makes it perfect? Is this a format we should all follow? I'm still new, i signed up in Oct last year, I really start working on Wikitree about Feb 2022.

I'm interested in learning the best way to setup my profiles.

David Anthony Taylor

Comments

Hi David,

Welcome to WikiTree!  You have been going gangbusters on G2G and we love seeing your emphasis on good sourcing.

Here are examples of profiles WikiTree likes that you can review.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Example_Profiles

Keep in mind that this is a Wiki, so these profiles are gifts to the community; others may have additional information to share.  The Style rules give wide latitude on how one organizes their profile, giving guidance as to basic elements only.

Also, now that you have some experience under your belt, you may wish to review the New User Guide for WikiTree  I find reviewing this from time to time helps one dig deeper into the workings of WikiTree.  We are an acquired taste.

Finally, you may find some value in understanding Genealogically Defined profiles.

and remember: Genealogy is a game of patience won in small bytes.

Glad to have you join us!

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Thanks so much for the information this will be very helpful. I can't wait to start on more ancestors profiles.

Thanks again Michael

David Anthony Taylor