a) All info on the Internet should be considered as “unproven”; it is by
nature a derivative source, subject to mistranslation, misinterpretation, mistyping, etc.
Virtually all info should be checked with primary sources if total accuracy is critical
(DAR membership, for example).
b) I do not require contributors to cite their proof as it would eliminate the
hypothetical reasoning that leads to new finds. Whenever source material or documentation
of data is given, it will be included in the database and will show on the web site.
Anything you have to add to the database will be appreciated.
c) Always remember that this a cooperative effort. The more you contribute the more you should recoup from other researchers. You may be the link that a new genealogist needs to be pointed in the right direction. And their research, added to The Inman Compendium™, will aid in your efforts.
Rather than constantly starting at the Index page on every visit, you may want to use the Bookmark feature of your browser. AOL calls it 'Favorite Places". If you want to go to a specific page then all you have to do is open your bookmarks and click on the page you want to visit, e.g., database, researchers of a certain area, census indices, etc. I keep a bookmark for every page and sub page in the file and align them as they are on the web. Example:
| Homepage The Inman Compendium - Front Page Main Page Online Database Documents Section Documents Main Page Articles Page Biographies and Sketches Page Wills and Bible Records Page Cemetery Maps and Surveys Page Vital Records Page Search Engine Researchers Canadian Line New England Line Still Looking South Carolina Line Virginia Line Tennessee Line Overseas Family Reports Census Indices Message Board Submit a Bio Page Inman Web Sites Genealogy Web Sites Guest Books |
In Netscape and Explorer, right click on the page you are viewing and
unclick on 'Add Bookmark'. Then go to the browser menu bar, Bookmarks, Edit Bookmarks. Create a new folder for The Inman Compendium. Then you can drag and drop the individual pages into that folder and rearrange them to suit you. To view a page, go to the browser menu bar, Bookmarks, find the page you want and click on it. |
| In AOL, go to the page you want to bookmark. In the top right corner of
the page window will be a red heart. Click and drag the heart to the Favorite Places box
on the main menu bar. To organize, click on the Favorite Places button; create a new folder for The Inman Compendium; drag the pages to the folder and release; arrange to suit you need. To view a page, go to the menu bar, Favorite Places, find the page you want and click on it. |
The speed up page retrieval, your browser will reload files from its cache memory. This may not give you a current file. The following browser settings will always give you the current edition of any page you are looking at on the web.
For Netscape Communicator users:
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For AOL 3.0 users:
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For Netscape 2 or 3 users:
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For MS IExplorer users:
"Compare every time." |
For AOL 4.0 users:
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This should not slow down your web browsing unless a newer version of a page is available on the site you are visiting.
| Browsers | |
With the advent of many new features used in web page creations, older versions of browsers are no longer adequate. I firmly suggest that you update your browser to a current version. I have a link on my Front Page to the Netscape Download Center (see link above). You can obtain any version they offer, free of charge. If you prefer MS Internet Explorer, go to their web site for an update. Be warned that these newer versions are memory hogs. The smallest version would be Netscape Navigator. Netscape Communicator has more bells and whistles and takes much more space.
Although this IS a free web site, the size of the amount of data that is included has become very substantial. Thus the cost of finding a home for The Inman Compendium™ becomes more and more expensive. It was my intention to pay for all of this by myself, but I have been humbled by it all and do accept contributions. Any help you can offer will be appreciated. I suggest that your contribution be limited to $20, or less, per year.
Exact dates are used wherever available in the database. Dates that appear as "about 1900" can mean either born in 1900 but I did not get an exact date, or the date is estimated from sources, like census records. The latter examples will be documented if given. I no longer try to estimate dates based on marriage dates or positioning in the family. But I cannot say that for researchers sending me data.
Also used are 'before' and 'after'. That also is indicating these peoples data was retrieved from census records, wills, obituaries, etc. It is just to give a time frame to look for further data.
There are several ways to skip back through pages. On the new Netscape, if you click and hold on the Back button you will get a drop down list of the pages you have previously visited. You can unclick on the page you want to return to and get there without using the Back button repeatedly.
On my major pages I include a shortcut to the Index page of The Inman Compendium™. When you see the logo, see below and on the Index page, just clicking on it will send you to the Home Page.
Each individual is assigned an ID number by the genealogy program that I use. It appears on the persons page in the database and the URL for that page. It is also used in the census indexes and Photo Album to cross-link to the database. In general, it doesn't mean a thing. However, it does help if you write me about someone to give me that number from their page, i.e., John Inman - # I12509 (there are over 100 John Inmans, and then there are the John Inmons.) The ID# is everything after "&id=" in the URL of the database page you are viewing.
Here is the real tip here. You can book mark a person's page if that is where you always go in the database. If you generally go to the same person in the database and then work around the system from there, use the ID# to jump around in the database. Go to any page and replace the number in the URL box with the number of the person you want to research.
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=inman_compendium&id=I1
= Me
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=inman_compendium&id=I17
= My Dad
If you have a genealogy website, a link back to the The Inman Compendium™ will be appreciated. I am always looking for ways to direct people to this site. A reciprocal link can be made on my site if you will let me know.
You can add a banner to your link if you choose. Visit the Banners Page and choose from the graphics displayed there. You can copy the graphics to your site to speed the loading time or link to the graphic in my directory to save space. I have no restrictions to the display size of the banner. It just needs to be legible. If there is not a style to match your site, let me know and I can make one for you.
Here is a marvelous page that can help you when you don't know where to look, first or next.
Visit the Message Board often to look for new postings. There is an option at the bottom of the main page on the Board where you can be notified via e-mail of responses to your posting and/or all postings to the Board. I think everyone should be set up to receive notice of all postings.
You have two ways to respond to postings. If you click on the posters name, it should be linked, then you can respond directly to that person. That assures that you two are in sync but to let everyone in on the information you have, you should also post a response to the Board.
Technology is moving along in our favor. The options in photo reproduction are really outstanding. I just wanted to make you aware of some of the options that you can use in your photo gallery.
For those that are content in using standard 35mm cameras, there is now the option of having your photos saved to a floppy disk or a CD Rom in digital format. This will save you the trouble of having to scan your photo prints to share with others via the net. You will need a graphics viewer to work with the digital images. I use ACDSee and am very pleased with it's operating procedures and it's printing capabilities. It costs less than $10 to get the extra disk but you would have negatives, prints and digital images to work with.
But the real BIG improvement is the quality of photos obtained by using a digital camera. If you buy a camera with the built-in viewer, you can check your photos before you leave the site. If you are photographing headstones, you can check to see if the light was right, or if you cut off half of the stone, or if you created a shadow. If you need to, you can erase the bad photo and reshoot. These images are stored on memory sticks and can be transferred to your computer and viewed with your graphics viewer and edited to your liking.
I have asked and my local photo shop can take the floppy disk and send it to the photo lab where the images can be printed as if they were taken by a 35mm camera. So again, you have the potential for every form of presentation available.
The cameras run from $300 to $900. The low-end versions do not offer the movie capability. The high-end cameras allow you to make mini-movies as well as photos.
I am going to use one this summer on our cemetery run and will have more details about them when I return.
Most web browsers do an adequate job of printing web pages by using the Print command on the menu bar. I have tried to size graphics on my site to be viewable in one window.
On occasion the graphic needs to be larger than can be seen in one window and you have to scroll down or to the right to see the balance of the picture. At other times, the picture may be smaller than you wish for a printed copy
If you need to reduce/enlarge images for your printed use, I recommend that you save the file to your hard drive and then use an external graphics imager to do the resizing for printing. Most graphics programs give you the opportunity to determine the final output size of a graphic that you wish to print. If you want a full size (full sheet) image to be printed and you choose a portrait layout, then the maximum size should be about 10 inches in height, provided it does not go over 8 inches in width. If you choose a landscape layout the maximum size should be about 8 inches in width, provided it does not go over 10 inches in height.
There are many places where information on your family can be hiding on this site. The best way to find them all is the search engine. Type in several words, like John Inman, and the search will go through every file on the web site looking for those words. Then use the Find feature in the Edit Menu to look for those words in the pages that were found. Also be sure to use variant spellings, like Inmon.
Don't use too many words because the search will be for all words on one page. That narrows significantly the chances for a match. Just look for generalities like, John Inman, or peculiarities, like Abednego.
There is also a search engine in the database. It may be faster than going through all of the index pages. Again, don't be too specific. I may not have middle names for the person you are looking for, or may have a slightly different spelling.
For those that aren't comfortable with bookmarks, try using the site map. This will give you a visual approach to navigating the web site. It may also help you in trying to remember where something was but you just can't remember where.
If you are interested in submitting photos for use on The Inman Compendium™ you have two ways to do so. Either scan the photos yourself and send me the graphics file (in JPG format) or have the photo copied by a quality photocopier and send me the photocopy. I am not in a position to return all of the material sent to me but will return any originals sent for scanning. Other items will be returned if a SASE is included.
If you scan a photo, you can manipulate the photo to your liking and submit it. In general, scan at full size, 300 DPI and save in JPG format. If you use the MicroSoft program to retouch photos your ability to control the output is very limited and I do not recommend using it. There should be a program included with your scanner that will better use the scanner interface, which is where you can control the DPI and scaling. This program is what I recommend you start with.
You can send the original scan to me and I will rework it. I request that the original scans you send me be at least 300 DPI for clarity purposes. Very small pictures might need to be scanned at 200% scaling or 600 DPI for them to show up. I will reduce them to fit on an Internet page for best viewing.
For new users of scanners here are a few hints that I use.
There are many search engines available to find items located somewhere on the World Wide Web. I have chosen to add a search engine to most of the frontline web pages on my site. You can now search the web from my site. Just look for the GoTo.COM banners. If it works well for you, please use the search page as your default web search engine. Also, please use that page's URL and change the default search engine in your web browser. Use of this search engine will help finance The Inman Compendium™ at no cost to you. Your help is appreciated.
If you have more questions, or suggestions to add here, please notify Jim Williams. Enjoy!
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