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Introduction for English speaking users of Geni with Danish roots:
Please do not edit this document. If there is something you think needs revision, please discuss it with me (Anette Guldager Boye), or one of the other Curators.
When there is a new addition to this project it will say New above the addition.
If you are aware of someone else interested in Geni, please send them an invitation. Since I would like to make this a Forum for people with Danish roots I would like as many as possible to take part.
The project is intended as a guide to Geni for people with Danish roots and also a source for help with Danish genealogical searches. Here I will also present an introduction to Danish traditions of naming children.
News and discussions may be added to this project later. Click on the following tab to keep updated.
Related projects
A related project is made for Danish users of Geni who would like to find their forefathers in Europe. This can also be of interest to English speakers with Danish roots.
http://www.geni.com/projects/Danish-Coffee-Corner/7466
The world tree and cooperation
You may have been invited to join an existing familytree on Geni. If this is not the case you can start up your own tree. Later a merge request may appear for a profile you also have on your tree. Here you can either merge your own profile with the other profile of the same person, or you can ask to become co-manager of the requested profile. The reason is that all profiles of the same person are intended to be merged together to show a correct world tree.
Working with the world tree: https://www.geni.com/worldfamilytree/learn-more
In some cases it may be necessary to make a copy of a profile and merge it in. However this is not recommended in general. The reason is that it can easily create a mess of the tree and create data conflicts that must be corrected later.
The code-word here is a common tree and co-operation. The advantage is that you can come in contact with other family members and find out as much as possible.
At the same time profiles of people born before 1900 should not be made private. Only in a few cases can the profile stay private.
http://www.geni.com/company/privacy
If you dont want to co-operate in this manner. it is recommended that you use another program for example MyHeritage or a program on your private PC.
Tradition of names in Denmark and how to post them on Geni.
Denmark and Scandinavia are a bit different compared to the rest of the world. Around 1860 a new Law about surnames was passed in Denmark. This law looks very similar to the rest of Europe. However it did not take effect immediately all over the nation. It took about 20 years to take full effect.
After this law was passed the children received the same surname or family name as the father and the wife began to take the name of the husband. Before that this was not the case. Following the earlier tradition, the child was called son or daughter, of for instance Peder. – Pedersen (son of Peder) or Pedersdatter (daughter of Peder) and maybee a name connected to the family. Before this new law it was very rare that the woman took the name of the husband. She kept her name, e.g.“Pedersdatter”. If a family name existed she took it from her father.
How to write in the namefield
First name: A single name or in some cases two or three names. For instance Anne Marie. They are supposed to be written in the first name field, if used together as a first name
Middle names: Middlenames do not occur before the new law was passed.
Surnames: All surnames for instance. Pedersen Juel. (Son of Peder) and Juel if there is such a name connected to the family.
Suffix: Titles such as Earl of XXXX, Count of XXXX. King of Denmark
Birth name or maiden names After the new law about names, the woman’s name can be written here.
Also known as: and/or
Nicknames: Smidt or Carpenter.
Adoption
For those adopted who know both their birthparents names and that of the adoptive parents and wish to have both lines shown, this is possible.. This is done when adding parents to the tree. This extra set of parents is later shown as a green triangle. That way you know it is not a wrong merge.
Spelling of names and Orthography:
In older times there was no correct spelling and names were therefore spelled in several ways. You can choose to use one of them and then either put it in "also known as" or in “about me” You can also add some sources to document this.
Profiles and the information on them:
If there is disagreement on the information about a profile, you have to look at the best possible primary source. That is the source from the same period of time as the profile or as close as possible.
Primary sources can be church records, established protocols and legal books from the time. Constructed genealogy books made much later and with no documentation cannot validate the information as correct and should not be seen as a primary source.
It is always important to make sure the data stated in the profile is as correct as possible, birth data, birthplaces and so on. It can cause a lot of data conflicts if you do not ensure data accuracy.
If there are disputes among the managers of the profile, a way to solve this is to start a discussion on the topic. But always keep in mind that it is cooperation that counts. The focus of the discussions is to be on the subject and the nature of the available information.
If an unresolved question arises from the above you can get in contact with a Geni Curator. This is best done through a project discussion. Alernatively you can write to Geni under "Help."
Use the options on Geni:
In adition to cooperating with other people on Geni, there are also other options where the ancestry can be examined and discussed. This can be done using "Projects" and "discussions"
Start a project
Here you can gather as much information about a certain family line or a time period as you are interested in. You can also invite others to join the project, so they can contribute to the project as well. The information gathered here might later be put together and added to a profile.
Start a discussion
Discussions are especially useful if there is disagreement about some data on a profile or the profile itself. This can be dates, parents, partners and so on. Here others on Geni can also take part and add their view on the subject. Discussions can be used if there are uncertainties about something on a profile and perhaps that way others can help with a solution.
Deleting of profiles
Lately there have been some unfortunate examples of people that have deleted profiles where other managers were also working on the same profiles. This has had some negative consequences. Some have had their family tree split up.
Therefore everyone should consider all the consequences before deleting a profile.
It is better never to delete a profile. If the reason for deleting the profile is that it has been merged incorrectly, these can be taken apart again and added correctly.
Danish Curators:
Anette Boye
Günther Kipp Flemming