Recent changes made to the website

FutureWhat do you want to see here in the future?
01/16/09Expanded the ability to attach multiple documents, located with the option for attaching pictures.
01/12/09Changed the links on Pedigree and Descendant pages to add options of going directly to someone's pedigree or descendant page
01/11/09Just a reminder that you can change the colors of what you see. If yours is like mine and has many links into other people's data, it would be helpful if the color changes when you make that jump, and it may help to give yours your own personal touch!
01/06/09Happy New Year! Added a new page under Account > Find Connections for helping you to locate potential connections (ancestors and descenants) from your branch to other branches online here.
12/28/08Added the Iowa county map
12/22/08Added option to display place of death on the descendant chart, and improved the options showing and hiding other options
12/22/08Added option to display email addresses for all researchers connected to people in a descendant tree
12/10/08Added the map for Belgium & Holland provinces
12/10/08Working on an improved setup for entering place names - faster, easier, & less prone to error. If you want to help test drive, let me know!
12/02/08Added the Alabama and Mississippi county maps
11/21/08Added a new page per place, listing people from that place, a map showing the place, and the option of an embedded webpage with more information. Example1 Example2
11/21/08Updated the display of places to be a link, which either goes into edit (as it has been), or goes to a new page with more information about the place.
11/11/08For those of you not in the US, places will now automatically display with "USA" before US all places. So this need not be included in the data entry.
11/06/08Added an optional choice of displaying the grave location in search results, and sorting by grave location. If helpful, add this under My Account > What I See.
11/02/08Combined the "Add Source" and "Pick Source" buttons, to encourage searching & picking an existing source, rather than adding a new one which may already be there.
11/02/08Added event types Occupation, Education, Religion, Retirement, for when one of these has a date or place associated with it
11/02/08Added a new notes optional field for each event, for when there is additional parenthetical information beyond the date and place.
11/01/08Added the New York county map
10/29/08Added an option to search by number of children of a person. This can be used to find orphaned records that may need to be deleted.
10/16/08Added the Kentucky county map
10/09/08Added the Illinois county map
10/07/08In addition to "All" and "Mine", added "Others" to filter the data on state and county maps, so you can see the data for everyone but yourself.
10/06/08When someone has multiple spouses, added to the dropdown list of spouses a > and a color change to indicate the current spouse, and added the number of children with each.
09/30/08Corrected a bug which may have caused dates to not be saved when saving records.
09/29/08Added the option for you to change the color choices used when display maps the various state and county maps. Go to Account > My Account > What I See.
09/27/08Added the option for you to remove another moderator you added.
09/27/08Updated the expanding functionality of the search form at the top of the search results page - perhaps working a little more smoothly.
09/21/08Added the Texas and Missouri county maps
09/08/08On your account editing page, added the choices of which state or country maps show for your data.
09/07/08When entering surnames, the routine is changed so that it shows a list of matching names below the field.
09/07/08Changed the picture upload to accept only JPG images. The process that creates the thumbnail image has trouble with other types.
08/24/08Added Oklahoma and New Jersey county maps
08/18/08On the Browse page, below a person's dates, added an automatic calculation of the person's age at death - provided both the birth and death dates are defined, and don't contain "bef" or "aft", and don't contain a range of years.
07/12/08Added on the home dashboard a spotlight area picking a random photo and person to display.
07/11/08Updated the method of entering place names, with an automatic dropdown list of places to choose from. Click for an instructional video...
06/29/08On the Browse page, next to children's names, added a + if the child has children.
06/27/08Various updates, including adding a random map related to your data to your dashboard, linking to a larger views, which link into more detail; County maps for Georgia & Ohio
06/16/08On the surname page, for names that have data in VA, clicking the state breaks it down further by county. Other county maps to be added as time allows.
06/12/08Added checkbox for questionable/uncertain places, leaving the text to the name of the place itself.
06/02/08Updated the Help information with more about formatting places.
05/28/08On the surname page, for names that have data in NC,MD,DE, & DC, clicking the state breaks it down further by county. Other county maps to be added as time allows.
05/27/08On the summary page for a researcher, added USA and UK maps showing their data distribution by place.
05/10/08Added a link to linkpendium.com surname and county pages from surname and county pages here
05/04/08Added a map showing the distribution of the name in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland
04/29/08Added a general surname resources page for any surname. Choose "View > Surname Resources", or use the SN/Surname link at the bottom of any person's page.
04/28/08Added the ability to customize your own view of the search results content - adding, removing, and re-ordering columns
04/23/08Added a "Not" option to select someone's data not to include -- you can use this to search everyone's but your own.
04/22/08Moved the graph showing number of visitors to a separate statistics page to improve the load time of the homepage
04/20/08Changed the behavior of the "Add a note for..." link under discussions. If you are already the moderator, this links to the page for editing the main notes for the person; otherwise, it opens the window for adding entry under "Discussions"
04/17/08Added more options, including pictures, for what to display on the descendant page
04/17/08Added more options, including pictures, for what to display on the pedigree page
04/13/08Added a couple online video tutorials demonstrating some of the features of the system.
03/22/08Enabled online real-time chat between two researchers to enhance communication.
01/25/08Added an automatic email notification for new discussion posts.
01/21/08Added an option to save search criteria for re-use later.
01/18/08Corrected a bug with the main menu not working in Internet Explorer 7.
01/13/08Under Account > My Account are more options for customizing the colors, fonts, and font sizes. Whatever is chosen here is what shows for you and anyone else browsing your data.
01/10/08Made some corrections to duplicate check, enabling it to report a few more it didn't before; and corrected the monthly email list to remove some that shouldn't have been there. See your updated list at Account > Find Duplicates.
01/09/08Happy New Year! Under your Account options, added the choice of enabling a WYSIWYG text editor for the notes fields, giving more options for colors, bold, italics, bullets, etc.
12/31/07Added an automatic backup copy when a person is deleted. There is not currently an interface for accessing the backup data. This may be added later, but until then, contact the System Administrator.
12/29/07Searching by first name and duplicate checking now match on a few of the most common first name variations, such as Mary/Polly and William/Bill.
12/10/07Separated the main entry page into two tabs, moving the general Notes field and a new second notes field restricted to moderators and subscribers for a person, to a second entry tab. Feedback welcome!
12/02/07Added "Remind" button to submitted suggestions, for re-sending email notifications to the record moderator.
11/18/07Notifications of suggested updates are now automatically emailed to the moderator of the information.
11/12/07To keep things more balanced, moved "Sources", "Feasibility Checks", "Places" from the "View" menu to "Account"
11/12/07Under View > Tree View, added a new page showing a different type of pedigree for the current couple. More description under View > Help.
11/02/07Added "Bef Parent Marriage" checkbox. This removes someone from the feasibility check of their birthdate vs. their parents' marriage date.
10/03/07In the Links section at the bottom of a family page, added 2 options: RS = Rootsweb Surname page, BK = Google Book search
09/22/07On a researcher's home page, added a link to another statistics page summarizing numbers of people by birthplace and year.
09/16/07Revamped the search options section, and added the option to assign a moderator to multiple records on the search page.
09/09/07For those who have contributed records, added to the homepage statistics chart a line showing Google visits to your records.
09/09/07Added a random tip section to the home dashboard, to spotlight some features that might be under-utilized.
09/03/07Added an "Immigrate" event - for recording the date when someone immigrated, and where the came to.
09/03/07Added an account setting (View > Account) where you can decide whether to display surnames in mixed or upper case. This applies to all records that you view -- not related to the preferences of the researcher maintaining the data. On the main viewing page, pedigrees, descendant charts, and others.
08/30/07Added a "Blank Dates" = "Only" choice in the search options at the top of the search results page, helpful for finding and filling in those blanks.
08/28/07Added countries and country provinces where applicable to the search options at the bottom of the View > County Map page.
08/25/07Added county color coding for Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas
08/22/07Added the ability to enter dates in the form "22 AUG 2007" or "AUG 2007", and made the prefixes "abt", "bef", "aft" accept upper or lower case.
08/21/07Added an option to record a source with each change log entry.
08/08/07When submitting suggested changes, added an additional field where you include a message for the moderator about the changes.
08/04/07On the Browse page for any person or couple, there is now a "Timeline" button on the left. This shows a chronology of all events for the person or couple. More description under View > Help.
08/03/07On several pages, added a PDF in the upper right which opens the page in a PDF document, which can then be saved offline or emailed to a friend.
08/03/07For the pages that have the option of showing information on a Google map, the Map button is now a button in the upper right.
07/16/07Under View > Reports, added an option to search for people living at the time of a census, but for whom a census is not recorded here. More information under View > Help.
07/06/07An update for the tabs at the bottom of the Browse page - they will now each appear when clicked, rather than only one at a time; and it will remember what you have visible from page to page to page.
07/04/07For those who have contributed records, added to the homepage a statistics chart showing visitors to your records. A more detailed description is under "Help".
07/04/07Revised the homepage layout with expanding and collapsing sections, to allow more freedom in seeing what you want. Happy Independence Day!
07/03/07When entering place names, there is now a button which will bring up another website gazetteer page with more information about the place.
06/30/07A gedcom import process is setup but currently limited to me as the Administrator until testing is completed. Email me your gedcom and I will put it in for you.
06/26/07Help needed: Someone replied to me that the site is "visually and functionally atrocious, confusing, restrictive and gaudy." While I don't agree, I don't have an objective viewpoint. Are there any web designers out there who would be able to contribute ideas for improving the interface? Email me!
06/05/07Added Google map view to individual county pages
06/04/07Added link to county page on search results page, when searching by county. Added complete list of county links to "View County Map" page. On county pages, added link to county page at Wikipedia.
06/01/07On the main search page, added an option to browse by last name. Mainly for search engines, so that they will be sure to find all of the people, but anyone can use it.
05/07/07On the main browsing page, for each place that has been identified on a map, a pin will show to the left of the place, and will link to the map showing it.
05/06/07Enabled Google mapping for France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Germany
04/29/07Enabled Google mapping for all of England, Scotland, and Wales, for places that are identifiable.
04/26/07When entering places, a button is added to the right of the field to search on places already entered.
04/17/07Fixed several interface problems in Internet Explorer to get them working as intended.
04/16/07I'm starting to add Google map links for cities and towns in England (and eventually other countries). If anyone would like to volunteer for a few counties, let me know and I'll send instructions. Knowledge of England geography is not needed - just the ability to read a map, copy, & paste.
04/11/07Added a new section to the Home Dashboard page "Recent Changes from Others", so you can keep up-to-date on what others are updating.
04/10/07Added checkbox "Living-Private" which will hide the record for other people or search engines accessing the site, while keeping it visible for you.
04/09/07For those of you entering your own family information, I added a semi-automated duplicate check found under Account > Find Duplicates. See the Help for more details.
04/08/07Added map integration to pedigree charts, showing where ancestors were from
04/07/07Added map integration to descendant charts, showing where descendants migrated
04/04/07Added integration from any set of family history search results to plotting on a US map
03/30/07Added an "Email a Friend" option for sending information about a family to other researchers
03/27/07Updated the county maps to include Franklin, Warren, Vance, and Granville Counties NC, and Greensville, Sussex, and Southampton Counties VA
03/01/07I have updated the site to separate the genealogy data pages from the rest of the site, and added a lot of functionality to enable you as other researchers to be able to contribute directly to our common family tree. See Our Family for more information and to get started!
02/06/07Updated the European migration maps
10/23/06Added 264 pictures from my recent vacation in Nice, Cannes, Monaco, and Genoa
08/23/06Added 244 pictures from my recent vacation in Paris, Lyon, Venice, Florence, and Rome
07/22/06Website design upgrade! Feedback welcome!
07/11/06Made a few interface improvements. Enjoy!
07/04/06Happy Independence Day! I have posted a list of unconnected Gurganus's, hoping someone can shed some light on these...
11/04/05Website design upgrade, much improved. :) Feedback welcome!
08/07/05At the bottom of Browse pages, updated the links to other sources, making it easier to cross-check many families with many websites.
08/01/05Updated the pedigree chart page to be faster, more functional, and easier to read
02/17/05Added page for printing a family and descendents. Bring up someone's family page, and choose "Report" from the dropdown menu at the top of the page.
12/11/04Miscellaneous updates to the search and documents pages for better performance and functionality. Comments welcome!
08/08/04Added a FAQ page button, found in the upper left of the individual browse pages.
06/21/04Over the last few months, added about 900 census records for Gurganus's and related families, and updated their dates and places
06/21/04Updated the northeastern and southeastern NC Gurganus maps
04/09/04Added a clickable county map for NC, VA, and MD genealogy.
02/10/04In celebration of Spring coming soon (hopefully), I thought I'd change the color scheme. :) Enjoy!
01/28/04Added a tenative line from my family in Bertie Co NC back to Henry VIII King of England, and about an additonal 1,000 people in the Royals/Medieval database.
12/27/03Added 33 cemetery pictures from Bertie & Martin Counties, NC
11/11/03Added a page mapping the early Gurganus's in southeastern NC
10/13/03Finally after 10 days offline, I've gotten the website reconnected and running again. Thanks for your patience.
08/28/03Have just received a copy of "Some Colonial & Revolutionary Families of NC Volume III" by Smallwood, and will be adding it to the website soon.
08/23/03Added or updated 67 documents, mostly related to Gurganus's and allied families.
08/20/03Since 8/15/03, added or updated 90 documents, mostly related to Gurganus's and allied families.
08/19/03Added pages for the NC, VA, and MD counties most referenced here, with surnames and places from these counties.
08/04/03Added a page for general suggestions and standards for genealogy data entry.
08/03/03Added a general search option to the home page.
07/29/03Added "Recent Updates" sections to each of the family pages
07/06/03Added a page mapping the early Gurganus's in eastern NC
06/28/03Added 12 pictures from the Biggs-Gurganus Cemetery, Martin Co NC
06/27/03Updated document search with more functionality and added a document view
06/18/03Added more deeds and included the deeds and other documents in the results of the main search page.
06/15/03In the process of reorganizing deed and will entries so that all names are hyperlinked and searchable. Stay tuned....
06/12/03Added more in-law information for Gurganus families in Martin and Pitt Counties NC, linking some families together. Surnames include Bullock, Harris, Harrison, Leggett, Peal, Rogerson, Taylor, Ward, Whichard, Woolard, Wynn, and others.
06/02/03Added a page for David Gurganus
05/30/03Added 400+ records from "Related Royal Families II" by Marilu Burch Smallwood, including Burch, Harrell, Cadwell, and other families in 19th century Georgia and back
05/11/03Added or updated 670+ records in the Royal/Medieval data, mostly in the Scottish and Welsh lines, and as always, still going....
05/06/03Corrected various database bugs, improved pedigree chart formatting
05/06/03Added "What's New" to the Home page
04/11/03Upgraded to the newest version of MySQL - should be significantly faster
03/30/03Changed display of genealogy researcher email addresses to images so that they can't be picked up by automated spiders.
03/17/03New website layout and various additions and corrections here and there
01/28/03Updated the European migration maps, Added 50 pictures to people in the Royals database, corrected several website bugs.
12/29/02Started adding links from the Royals database to corresponding pages at historychannel.com.
11/10/02A general upgrade of the site, including an upgrade of the pedigree chart page, adding color coding by birthplace.
08/01/02A lot of genealogy database additions that I didn't take time to list out here.
05/04/02Added a graphing page for counting people by birth years.
04/04/02Upgraded the Pedigree Chart page, allowing anywhere from 4 to 10 generations at once - your choice!
03/31/02As always, continuing to add more people as they are found. Recently added 500 more people to the Royals database, all ancestors to my own lines.
03/22/02Database Upgrade: I have finished upgrading the genealogy database engine to MySQL, which should prove to be much faster than before.
07/15/01Added spouses to the children listings on the browse screen.
07/08/01Added parent and spouse names to search results screen.
07/07/01Added Volume II of "Some Colonial and Revolutionary Families of NC" by Marilu Burch Smallwood.
06/10/01Added birth & place charts for each database, showing migrations, and linking to individual records.
06/09/01Added a graphical chart showing migrations of some of my family from Europe to the USA
05/28/01Added maps of Creeksea, Essex, England, home of Edward Gurgany
05/20/01Added 500 people to the Royals database
05/12/01Updated NC county maps showing Gurganus migrations
04/19/01Added the ability for anyone browsing to leave their own comments for any individual in the genealogy data, then displayed with that individual. Try that with other online genealogy websites! :)
04/12/01Started online database of data in "Some Colonial and Revolutionary Families of NC" by Marilu Burch Smallwood.
04/09/01Added or updated 125 records in the Gurganus database with info found at ancestry.com
01/06/01Added a links button listing other web links related to the current surname.
12/28/00Added 16 pictures some of my immediate ancestors, of old photos and graves
10/29/00Changed Gallery page to load thumbnails much quicker for slow connections. Up to 70+ pictures.
10/15/00Added the "Gallery" page and 27 pictures
09/17/00Added help text information for genealogy search fields (IE4+ or Netscape 4+); began re-design of color scheme setup
09/03/00Updated NC County maps with updated Gurganus data, added counts for other states
08/22/00Restructured the website without using frames. Added 200 people to Royals database
08/19/00Added 200 people to Royals database and a few updates to the Gurganus database
08/13/00Added 700 people to Royals database, including 2 more lines back to Adam & Eve
08/07/00Added a pedigree chart view for all databases, accessible by the "Chart" button at the top of each screen. Let me know what you think!
08/06/00Updated 125 Gurganus database records with dates and/or places found at www.familysearch.org
07/29/00Added 6 images to the Royals database and 1 to the MyFamily database
07/28/00Added 12 castle pictures for people in Royal database
07/25/00Added 200 people to Royals database
07/24/00Added 6 coats of arms images to the Royals database
07/23/00Added links to Gurganus genealogy message boards
07/21/00Added 15 castle pictures and 1 abbey picture for people in Royal database
07/19/00Added 4 pictures - 2 Royals, 2 MyFamily, and an option to search for people with pictures. More to come... I will be working on collecting pictures of these people, their homes or graves to add here. If you have any to share, let me know!
07/19/00Corrected searching by firstname to ignore upper/lower case.
07/02/00Added the "European Medieval and Royal Migrations" maps
06/25/00Added 500 people to Royals database
06/24/00Added 500 people to Royals database; corrected a couple of display problems related to long place names and long URL sources
06/20/00Added 300 people to Royals database
06/18/00Added 400 people to Royals database; added Royals database to "birthday" list
06/06/00Added graphical charts for the Gurganus, MyFamily, and Royal databases
05/28/00Out of MyFamily database I split the royal lines, now included in a much larger database of royal and Biblical lines
05/28/00Updated MyFamily genealogy database (mainly surnames Andrews, Coburn/Cockburn, Hatton, Pindel, Robbins, Speight)
05/23/00Upgraded server to the Office 2000 database drivers, hopefully more stable and more efficient? Only time will tell.
05/22/00Updated MyFamily genealogy database with sources that were not showing up, and cleaned out garbage records
05/21/00Added What's New page
05/21/00Updated MyFamily genealogy database (mainly surnames Askew, Baker, Barcroft, Chancy, Keile, Outlaw, Sampson, Watford, Wilson)
05/20/00Redesigned website
05/16/00Added page for NC county migrations of Gurganus's
05/14/00Updated Gurganus genealogy database
05/13/00Corrected several bugs in genealogy searching
05/13/00Updated Gurganus origins information
05/07/00Added option for searching all data at once