Profile managers: Bobbie Hall [send private message], S Willson [send private message], and Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message]

PGM Editing Guidance

The Puritan Great Migration Project's goal is to present factually accurate profiles with well-sourced biographies. As the project currently manages over 7,500 profiles, this is a major undertaking. To avoid confusion, style disagreements, etc., we ask our members to try and be consistent when editing PGM profiles. Our guidance for each section and field on PGM's profiles is outlined below.

As always, when in doubt, please ask. You'll usually get a very quick response if you post on our Google Group, Discord server and comments on project-managed profiles.

Profile Editing Guidance

Data Fields

The information found in data fields should match the information found in the biography, which should be proven using quality, reliable sources. The following may help answer some questions concerning data fields.

Last Name at Birth (LNAB)

Especially on these older profiles, determining LNAB can be challenging due to spelling variations even during a person's lifetime. Remember that on Wikitree, we use their conventions not ours; in general, we use the spelling as it was at the time of the person's birth. How do we find this?

General WikiTree guidelines for spelling conventions include:

• If there are any contemporary written documents, the spelling from those documents should be used. In particular, the spelling that appears in a birth record should be used for the Last Name at Birth unless there are other documents from, at, or near the time of birth that inform us about a more common or correct spelling.
• The spelling used by descendants is not relevant unless there are no contemporary written documents.

PGM adds the following:

• First look for actual parish baptism/birth records (preferably images, but when lacking images, reliable quality transcriptions of records can be used. Hereafter called “records”.) However, “other documents from, at, or near the time of birth that inform us about a more common or correct spelling” can also be used. Examples: a parents marriage “record,” a more frequent spelling used on baptism/birth “records” for other siblings, or town and colony "records."
• If neither contemporary images or transcriptions are found, the PGM project follows the last name used by Anderson in the Great Migration Series or a later peer-reviewed source such as NEHGS or TAG.
• In the absence of both, birth contemporary “records” and an Anderson article, use the spelling on a document from later in the person's life in which the party signed his/her name, such as a deed or will. If the person only signed by mark, use the most commonly documented spelling as found in deeds, wills, town records etc.

Other Last Names (OLN)

PGM does NOT include wrong surnames in the Other Last Names data field. OLN is reserved for legitimate aliases or alternative spellings.

Sometimes WikiTree genealogists want to list wrong surnames in the OLN field so the name will show up in the search engine, hoping to slow down creation of duplicate profiles. PGM has decided not to follow this practice.

The pros and cons of OLN usage has been fully discussed within the project and the conclusion has been drawn that adding inaccurate information to the data field is counterproductive to the project.

Prefix

See the following WikiTree guidance on Prefixes: Prefix

Suffix

See the following WikiTree guidance on Prefixes: Suffix

Dates

If the exact year of an event is known (but the day or month are not known) the date is still marked as "exact."

The marriage end date field is only used in cases where an end date can be clearly documented, such as by divorce or a known date of death.

Location Names

We use contemporaneous place names for birth, death and marriage date fields. Here is a list of the Colonies/Provinces that were applicable for PGM immigrants:

• Plymouth Colony: 1620 - 1690; after that, part of Province of Massachusetts Bay
• Massachusetts Bay Colony: 1628 - 1690; after that, part of Province of Massachusetts Bay
• Province of Massachusetts Bay: 1691 - 1776
• Connecticut Colony: 1636 - 1776
• Saybrook Colony: 1635 - 1644; after that, part of Connecticut Colony
• New Haven Colony: 1637 - 1662; after that, part of Connecticut Colony
• Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations: 1636 - 1776
• Province of New Hampshire: 1629 - 1776
• Province of Maine: 1622 - 1652
• Maine is part of Massachusetts Bay Colony: 1652-1690
• Maine is part of Province of Massachusetts Bay: 1691-1776
• Maine is District of Maine, Massachusetts: 1776-1820
• Maine is the state of Maine after 1820
• Province of New York: 1664 - 1776

Biography Section

Make sure biographies and data fields match each other and that the data from both are proven through the most accurate, high quality, nonspeculative, reliable sources possible. Data fields rely on well researched and properly sourced biographies so they can contain the most accurate information possible.

Use of AutoBio is not recommended for PGM profiles. Autobio can accidentally delete important information, pull in unvetted information from other profiles, and its default settings are not compatible with the preferred PGM format. For limited use in generating drafts for portions of the bio (such as the children's list), or completely empty profiles please see: PGM Editing Guidance - Autobio (Limited Use)

Narrative Guidance

The goal of a good biography is to focus on the person, not the research. A good biography tells a life story, not a researcher's path of discovery.

As per the project's goals and objectives, "The minimum information each profile should contain to be considered complete is the following: name at birth, immigration date, birth/baptism date and place, parents' names, death/burial date and place, marriage (spouse/s, dates, locations), and children."

However, recognizing that not all members of this project have the same level of interest or availability, any work that gets closer to the project's goals and objectives, but doesn't quite meet them, is still helpful and appreciated. To that end, the following are guidelines to help each research get closer.

A profile that is easily readable, devoid of duplicative data and useless information (such as REF ID numbers generated by uploaded GEDCOMs), and conveys a brief chronological history of the individual is desired. Suggested subheadings include:

• Disputed Origins
• Biography

• List of children
• Last will and testament

Disputed Origins (or Spouse, or Relations, etc.)

Updated 18 October 2023' For data and conclusions not supported by Anderson's Great Migration series (or a later approved source), it is the policy of the Puritan Great Migration project to:

• Collaborate with profile managers and other interested Wikitreers through profile comments and/or g2g to alert others of changes and seek additional information.
• Detach the disputed relatives from the profile.
• Add a {{Disputed Parents}} or {{Disputed Spouse}} Research Note Box (RNB) above the Puritan Great Migration Project Box template of the affected profile.
  • Summarize the issue. Place the details under ==Research Notes== in a section above Sources. There will be a link in the RNB to the Research Notes section. Please use the standard heading format ==Research Notes== or the link will not work.
  • Wikilink to the disputed relatives' profiles within the Research Notes text.
  • Provide inline references (footnotes) and additional sources to relevant research.
  • Link any related G2G question(s) within the text (sometimes the automatic link becomes lost when profiles are merged).
  • Wikilink and add Research Notes to the disconnected profile(s).

Here's an example profile.

Help pages for the individual RNB templates can be found here:

• Disputed Parents
• Disputed Spouse

Biography

Stickers

Stickers belong immediately below the Biography heading. PGM project follows the Sticker Help Guidelines found here.

Any Sticker that is redundant is subject to being removed by the profile managers and/or PGM project members. In particular, Immigration Stickers are considered redundant (a duplication of the Puritan Great Migration project box) and will be deleted.

Biography text

This section describes the life of the person. The biography is typically organized in a narrative style and in a chronological manner. Bullet points included in the narrative are acceptable.

If you find "copy/pastes" of multiple paragraphs of text -- whether it's from copyrighted work (like Anderson's Great Migration series), or even public-domain text (such as late 19th century genealogies freely available via Google docs or some other online archive) -- please replace such text with a summary of key points and link to the source where you can. Short quotes are fine; just be sure to add an inline reference (footnote), referencing the original. Read more about Wikitree's policy on Copying Text.

Old Style/New Style - Double Dating On WikiTree, as well as in the PGM project, we use the practice of double dating where both the old style and the new style year are given in a document. The new style (larger number) date is recorded in the data field of a profile and the double date is provided in the narrative biography.

Here's an example Note the death date.

Broadly speaking, double-dating ceased January 1, 1752; subsequent to that date, January 1 was recognized as the beginning of a new year.

For a full historical discussion on the Julian vs. Gregorian calendars and an explanation of additional rules, see Dates, Calendars and Genealogy.

List of Children

For those PGM profiles where the individual had children, use the heading Children, and then list the children in numbered order (if order of birth known) or non-numbered bullets (if order of birth is not known) in their own subsection, usually at the bottom of the narrative (above Sources, and above Research Notes if present).

Link to children's profiles if they have a profile. Provide basic vitals (b, m, d), but not too much detail (removed to Connecticut in 1665 and had the following children...). Additional detail goes on the child's profile, if they have one. Rationale for including list of children with basic vitals on parent profiles:

• We typically follow Anderson's practice (and he does this);
• Ability to visually check list of documented children against attached profiles;
• Allows placement of citations that support the link between parents and child;
• Supports ability to print profile page with basic family information.

Last Will & Testament (or Probate)

Because such documents often include very important family-relationship information, these can be extremely valuable. It is not necessary to transcribe the entire text of a will (or inventory, or division of real estate); simply highlight the particulars.

When the estate details are long, consider moving them to a separate free-space page and linking to that page from the biography.

Here's an example.

Research Notes Section

All research notes should be signed and dated by the person entering them. This is done by placing ~~~~ at the end of the research note.

Timeline Section (NOTE: Usage is Discouraged / Not recommended)

Usage of a timeline section is discouraged/not recommended. See Other Considerations. If a timeline is thought to be necessary in addition to the biography, please abide by the following:

• Use asterisks for each fact
• Include only information about the person profiled
• Each item in the timeline must be documented and sourced in the biography narrative
• Do not include facts about children, grandchildren, siblings, spouses or parents
• Be brief; don't include every fact

A longer timeline can always be done on a Free-Space page and linked in the profile.

Siblings Section (Note: Not used)

PGM profiles do not include a separate section on siblings; this information belongs on the parents' profiles. A brief description of the family structure (i.e. John Smith was the second son), and mention of the siblings can be included in the narrative.

Sources Section

Format like this:

== Sources ==

<references />

See also:

• [list here any general sources not included in any inline references (footnotes).]

Many profiles still have either no sources or very poor sources. Find and add better ones. Learn how to use the <ref>...</ref>...<references /> tags to insert inline references (footnotes). to a profile: that makes it very clear which information is supported by which sources, especially since the profile may be edited later by others. Learn the WikiTree markup for adding the same source additional times to the same profile (see advanced sourcing toward the bottom of the "Learn how to use" page). The use of Span tags to cite multiple pages from the same source is discouraged on PGM profiles.

Our main source of information for PGM profiles is Robert Charles Anderson's Great Migration series. When there is a conflict about facts on a given profile page, including Last Name at Birth, we follow Anderson's conclusions (and spelling of last name) unless there has been more recently published research or the location of original records from the time period that corrects or adds to Anderson.

Please do NOT transcribe onto profiles the full text of Anderson's work. The GM series is copyrighted; copy/pasting is therefore a copyright violation.

Please read our sources page for a range of sources that the project is using to support our efforts.

If the source is found in an image, rather than post the image of the source, please consider adding a link if the source image is available online. It is always preferable to add and cite relevant sources, rather than posting images to the profile pages. As a reminder, use of any image must comply with the applicable copyright law and/or licensing agreement.

Acknowledgements Section

We follow the style guide on Acknowledgements. We do not acknowledge uploaders of profiles. We do not retain a list of GEDCOM uploads. This information is tracked under the Changes tab.

Merging Duplicates

Please review WikiTree's Help: Duplicates and Help: Merging pages for more information regarding merging duplicates.

Project members working from Anderson's Great Migration series often find it necessary to merge duplicates of the immigrating ancestor, his or her spouse, their children (sometimes), and anyone "up the line" (parents, grandparents, etc.). Please merge duplicate profiles "down the line" (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.) as well. Even just cleaning up your own line of descent from your own ancestor(s) is helpful!

When proposing a merge, always make sure that it will go in the correct direction and, if two names are involved, or the same name spelled differently, request that PPP be placed on the target profile.

After merging profiles, please clean the profile's biography and sources by retaining the most accurate, reliable sources. Merged profiles often contain GEDCOM 'garbage' and the WikiTree Help: GEDCOM-Created Biographies can provide guidance in that area.

Other Considerations

Timeline Presentation of Facts is Not Recommended Timeline sections on PGM profiles are not recommended, and their use is discouraged. The PGM project's preference is a narrative-based biography, with inline source links to reliable sources. Adding a timeline results in a duplication of information, which can be difficult to maintain accurately when new information becomes available.

Scroll Boxes Not Recommended Scroll Boxes on PGM profiles are not recommended and discouraged from use. On occasion, a limited number of PGM profiles may contain scroll boxes, if the material contained in them cannot be consolidated into the biography or if the material is essential but lengthy.

Centering Text on a Page Not Recommended Centering is not recommended for styling purposes, e.g. it shouldn't be used just because you like the look of centered headlines or information. It can be used when you want to properly transcribe the original appearance of something like a headstone.

Background Images / Wall paper Throughout WikiTree, you may see examples of profiles that use an image as background or "wallpaper." Wallpaper is a matter of taste. One profile manager may be for it; another one against it. Background can also be very difficult for members with vision challenges. So please be thoughtful about adding backgrounds, and don't take it personally if someone removes a background image. Please do not use the PGM graphic for background images.

Tables Not Recommended We discourage the use of tables as these also are difficult for less experienced or technically advanced members to edit. If a table is important for content display, please use a linked Free Space Page.