BRERETON-L Archives

From: David Sylvester <>
Subject: call for queries
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 09:59:23 -0400

Cousin David wants YOU...

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...to post your Genealogy query or lineage today!

=====
If the ascii graphic looks jumbled you might have your email set to
view a variable width font. To see the hand with the pointing
finger more clearly you should use fixed width.

Okay, that was just for fun. The real point is that the list has
been quiet lately. So here is my call for queries to "jump start"
the list. If it's been a while since you posted yours, and I know
it has, send it in. If you haven't yet sent your query to the list
now is a good time to start. If you have some data to share send it
in. If you have a web page about your Brereton ancestors share it
with us. If you saw a post at a message board that you think would
interest the members tell us where it is. I'm sure you get the
idea. :_)


Before we get started, don't reply to this email and then add your
query -- in fact I don't wish you to reply to this at all. If you
have comments or questions about this email send them to me
personally. You know the address.


Here are some tips to help you get started writing a good query.

First decide whom you're going to write about and put that name in
the subject area. If you're looking for the ancestry of say, your
great-great-grandfather Ansel Brereton then type that name in. Or
maybe prefix it with something like "Looking for... ". If you know
where Ansel was from include that place also. So your subject title
might look like...

Seeking ancestry of Ansel Brereton of Anytown. (And include the
state, county, province, country, colony or territory)

Don't put simply "Brereton" as the subject. We all know that we're
looking for Breretons. The object is to catch the attention of the
reader who might have some information on the individual ancestor
you're looking for, who might otherwise delete your email. Some
list members are on multiple lists and they may be inundated with
dozens or hundreds of list messages each day. You want them to open
your email if they have the information you need. Use an eye catcher.

The only time you might include only the surname would be if you
were looking for all Breretons of a particular place (town, county,
etc.). In that case, using my town as an example, your subject
might indicate that you're... Looking for all Breretons of
Searsport, Maine.

Don't type "roll call" in the subject area. That's not who you're
looking for. Don't type "Thank you David..." Most serious
researchers will delete that unopened message in a heartbeat.


Now, let's talk about the body of your post. Try to give as much
information as you know, dates and places of all vital events if
known, along with enough info on other family members so that the
reader can positively identify if they are researching the same
family. "Anyone out there researching Breretons?" is going to find
its way into members' trash bins.

You don't have to use all capital letters for surnames. Many
tutorials will advise you to use that style (i.e. BRERETON) but it
is no longer necessary. Now that we have mailing lists that zero in
on individual surnames and local places the sheer volume and
variety of messages is greatly reduced in any single list. In the
Brereton list everybody already knows we're looking for Breretons,
and it is much more readable in lowercase.

Break your query into paragraphs and leave blank lines between them
for easy reading. If you wish to list a family's children and their
spouses leave blank lines between each of them. Don't cram
everything together. Don't worry about message length or file size.
There is a maximum that the list server allows but rarely will you
reach that point. But do post only one query at a time. If you have
two Brereton lines that you'd like information on send your queries
in two separate emails.

When you're done sign your name. It can be simply your first name
or your nickname but let people know what to call you when they reply.

Sometimes people like to add as a tagline or afterthought some
additional surnames that they're "also looking for". If you wish to
add some names try to use a small list, perhaps 3 to 6 surnames of
ancestors *closely* related to the person you're looking for. Only
include surnames that might be helpful in finding the ancestral
line in question. For example if I'm looking for information on the
wife of Joseph Silvester who was born in 1674 I might state that
I'm also looking for Hall, White, and Rogers -- names
contemporaneous with the subject of my query. I'm not going to
include surname Washburn because my Sylvesters didn't connect with
that family until more than two centuries later.

I've made a web page with links to several query tutorial sites.
For more tips and ideas check out
http://mdwsweb.com/genealogylists/query.html .



Here are some tips on replying to a query:

Okay, somebody posted a query and you have the information they
need, or you have some leads or some speculative information for
them. You may have a question to ask them so as to clarify a point
or you might see a name that you recognize about whom you have a
further question. So you hit the reply key and start typing at the
top of your editor, leaving the entire query along with taglines,
the sender's signature lines, administrative messages,
advertisements from the server host and the email client, and a
virus scan report trailing behind.

Please don't do that. It's ridiculous. It's called top posting and
it requires the reader to constantly scroll down to see what the
current writer is referring to. As one listowner in another list
recently pointed out, "PS - It is a lot easier to have a sensible
discussion that other people can follow if you don't top post."

Do you remember back in the old days when we wrote to friends,
family, pen pals, and research correspondents with pen and paper or
typewriter? We didn't send their letter back to them did we? Of
course we didn't.

We reminded them about a discussion in a previous letter and then
we expanded on that theme. And we can do that here too. In this day
and age of computers it's called "quoting" and it's done by leaving
portions of the previous message and removing (deleting, trimming,
snipping) the rest. Then we type our reply *below* the quoted
material. It's so easy to do with the mail editors (like mini word
processors) that come with our email programs and it's much, much
easier to follow.

For those of you who were initiated into the world of email since
the beginning of the "dot-com" era when businesses entered the
Internet and required their correspondents to top post, here's how
quoting is done. This will all become easy and will become second
nature after you have tried it one or two times...

After you hit the reply key, before you begin typing, first look at
the entire email in your editor and identify what portion of it is
genealogical, that is, what part of it did the sender type in an
attempt to find ancestors or share data. Next, remove everything
else. That's it for starters -- you've got it down to just
genealogy. If you remove nothing else from that message you've got
it down to being on topic because if you include any of that
extraneous stuff your message is off topic.

The next step is judgmental on your part and what you do next
depends on what the query includes and how your new information
relates to that data.

If the poster sent in what I call a "standard query" with heads of
family (husband and wife) with their data coming first and their
offspring with their data coming below (like a family group chart)
you then decide which persons your reply pertains to. Keep those
pertinent lines of text and remove the rest. Try to keep enough of
the previous message so that the reader is reminded of what the
thread is about. If you can't figure out what else to remove, again
if you remove the "administrivia" and keep just the genealogical
data you'll be doing just fine.

If the poster sent in a list of first settlers of Boomtown, USA and
you would like to reply concerning one name of interest then please
remove everything except for the line or paragraph containing that
name.

After you have finished trimming the original message move your
cursor down to the end of the very last line, hit the [Enter] key
two or three times then begin to type your response.

Go ahead and try it -- it's easy! Other members *and especially
this listowner* will be much happier! :-)


There's a variation of the quoting method and I'll demonstrate it
by example. Let's say the poster sent in a basic query, family
group sheet style. The parental data comprise two paragraphs and
there are six offspring given making a total of eight paragraphs.
You wish to reply with comments on the parents plus you descend
from one of the children, let's say the fifth one, for whom you
have some information to share.

You would keep the first two paragraphs then type your comments
below. You would then remove the paragraphs containing children 1
through 4, keep the paragraph that contains child 5 and remove the
6th. Hit the [Enter] key once or twice then type your further
comments -- always leaving one or two blank lines between each section.


Here's what a finished reply might look like. The quoted lines from
the original query are preceded by greater than signs and the rest
is our new material.

=====

At 4:00 p.m. Percy D. Ancestorhunter wrote...
> I'm looking for the ancestry of blah-blah
> who were born [date] [place] blah blah. They
> were married blah blah blah

> They settled and raised their children in blah blah
> but I'm told they were buried in blah blah

Dear Percy,

I descend from that same line and I still can't find their
ancestors. I do have some leads, which I shall share with you. Go
to http://www.Blah-blah-blah, also there is a book which blah-blah,
etc.

[children 1 through 4 snipped]

> 5. Mehitabel born blah-blah married blah blah
> more about Mehitabel blah blah

This is the branch that I descend from. I have all her children's
names and I have a large database of Mehitabel's descendants that I
will send you in private email if you wish.

[child 6 snipped]

I hope this is helpful.
Best regards and have a great day.

Your cousin,
Annabel T. Rootsdigger

=====


I hope you have taken the time to read this message and I hope you
apply some of the methods given. Most importantly do post your
query and help your cousins find their roots. We now have new
members and hopefully we have new information on your missing
ancestors.

Again please don't reply to this message in the list or any such
messages by this listowner. Any comments or questions are to be
sent to me at my administrative address that is given in the
welcome letter that was updated and sent to the list earlier this year.

Best wishes and good luck with your search.


David
http://mdwsweb.com/genealogylists/brereton.html

This thread:

• call for queries by David Sylvester <>