New Netherlad Project FAQ

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Frequently Asked Questions About the New Netherland Project

Q: Does my ancestor belong in this project?

That may be answered by reading the Project Scope section of the project page. If you're still not sure, post a query in the G2G forum and we can help determine if the person does belong in the project.

Q: Are my ancestors already on Wikitree?

It is extremely likely but they might be difficult to find, due to spelling differences or the past use of patronymic names. There are a few ways to find out if your ancestors are already on Wikitree:

• WikiTree name search. Use the search boxes at the top of a profile page to search for the person by name. Note that the search protocol ignores spaces in last names, so a search for VanAlen will find both VanAlen and Van Alen. If you are aware of common spelling variations for the name, try adding wild cards to your search strings. The wildcard ? will search for all values for a single letter (for example, a search for Eli?abeth will return both Elisabeth and Elizabeth) and an asterisk (*) will return all values for a multiple letters (for example, a search for Cat*na will return Catrina, Catharina, Catalina, etc.). Sort the results list by birth date to see people born around the time your ancestor was born (and remember that the birth dates for our ancestors often are just guesses, so do not limit your search to exact dates).

• Progenitors and Immigrants of the New Netherlands Settlers page. Search this page for names or aliases that you are looking for. Also try searching Category:New Netherland Families.

• WikiTree Surname Genealogy pages. Surname genealogy pages like https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Corsen list all WikiTree profiles that have a particular last name in the Last Name at Birth (LNAB) field. Select the include current last name option to add people who have that surname in the Current Last Name field. As with the WikiTree name search, you can sort this list by birth date to see people born around the time your ancestor was born. The upper right corner of these pages usually contain links to surname pages for similar names -- these may include the person you are looking for.

• The main project category. Try looking under the first letter of the surname in Category:New Netherland Project-Managed -- the master list of profiles that are covered by this project.

• G2G: Ask in the Wikitree forum, as many of us have quite a bit of experience with locating these profiles. Be sure to add the NEW_NETHERLAND tag to the post so that all project members will see it.

Q: How do I add my profiles to the New Netherland Project?

If you are sure the profile needs to be part of the project, add wikitree-new-netherland-settlers@googlegroups.com to the Trusted List of the profile and check the box to make it a project manager and add the appropriate project box -- {{New Netherland Settler}} or {{New Netherland Descendant}} or {{New Netherland Community}} -- to the text section of the profile, above the Biography heading. If you are not sure, or do not know which project box to use, please post a query in the G2G forum.

Q: What Last Name At Birth (LNAB) should my ancestor have?

See Naming Conventions on the New Netherland project page.