FamilySearch Wiki:WikiProject Gazetteers

Gazetteers Project for Emerging and Maturing Homelands (Not Canada or US)

Project Leader: Heather Mecham
Examples:
Angola Gazetteers page example
Iran Gazetteers page example
Malta Gazetteers page example
Moldova Gazetteers page example
Purpose: To update/standardize the gazetteers pages for each country. You will use a lot of your best judgement to make these pages better. Some of these pages won't have much information and some may have an incredible amount of information. Therefore, we may have to modify the template in the future. Please reach out anytime you have questions or have difficulties knowing where to place information.

Task List

Task List Please complete the cemeteries pages in the following order:

1. Emerging Homelands
2. Maturing Homelands
3. United States

Project Instructions

Step 1: Go to the list and choose a country from the Emerging Homelands tab. Please finish all countries on the Emerging Homelands tab before moving on to the Maturing Homelands Tab. Put your name under 'completed by' to claim it.
Step 2: Create a sandbox for this page.

Step 3: Drop this Wikicode onto the page:

{{COUNTRY-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
| link1=[[COUNTRY Genealogy|COUNTRY]]
| link2=
| link3=
| link4=
| link5=[[COUNTRY Gazetteers|Gazetteers]]
}}

== Online Gazetteers ==

== Print Only Gazetteers == 

== Why Use Gazetteers ==

A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary. You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and religious jurisdictions over those places. 

There are many places within a country with similar or identical place-names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.

=== Gazetteer Contents ===

Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as: 

*Different religious denominations 
*Schools, colleges, and universities
*Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
*The population size.
*Boundaries of civil jurisdiction.
*Ecclesiastical jurisdiction(s)
*Longitude and latitude.
*Distances and direction from other from cities.
*Schools, colleges, and universities.
*Denominations and number of churches.
*Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)

[[Category:COUNTRY]]

Step 4: Replace COUNTRY with the name of your country. (This will create the country sidebar template and breadcrumb.)

Step 5: Finding online and print only gazetteers

When you search, you might have to search by a country's colonial or alternative name. Also, try finding gazetteers by searching the country's continent. Check the following places to find a gazetteer:
Step 6: Use what is already on the page. If the sources on the page aren't digitally available online, then place them under Print Only Gazetteers.
Step 7: Under the heading online gazetteers, add a link for FamilySearch Places. Go here and search for your countries. Then, copy the URL and add it to the page. Paste the following on the page:

*[URL FamilySearch Places]

Step 8: Go to the FamilySearch Catalog. Add publishing information. If the sources on the page aren't digitally available online, then place them under Print Only Gazetteers.

*[URL BOOK TITLE] AUTHOR, TITLE, PUBLISHER INFORMATION, YEAR

Step 9: Search "COUNTRY Gazetteer" at archive.org

*[URL BOOK TITLE] AUTHOR, PUBLISHER INFORMATION, YEAR

Step 10: Go to this website. Add country in the search bar.

*[URL BOOK TITLE] AUTHOR, PUBLISHER INFORMATION, YEAR

Step 11: Try that nation's archive website (you might have to translate "gazetteer" into that nation's language).

*[URL BOOK TITLE] AUTHOR, PUBLISHER INFORMATION, YEAR

Step 12: Automatically link to these websites:

* World Gazetteers at [https://archive.org/search.php?query=World%20Gazetteer Archive.org]

Step 13: Google Search for the name of your country and online gazetteers. (Avoid gazetteers that aren't helpful like animal or weather gazetteers. A Wikipedia list of places might be helpful.)
Step 14: Select Save changes.
Step 15: Double-check the page to make sure it looks alright. Make sure that the links under Online Gazetteers are actually digitally available online. All other sources should be under Print Only Gazetteers.
Step 16: Go back to the task list and add the finished date and the link to the page you created in your sandbox.

Gazetteers Project for United States

Project Leader: Heather Mecham
Examples:
Angola Gazetteers page example
Iran Gazetteers page example
Malta Gazetteers page example
Moldova Gazetteers page example
Purpose: To update/standardize the gazetteers pages for each state. You will use a lot of your best judgement to make these pages better. Some of these pages won't have much information and some may have an incredible amount of information. Therefore, we may have to modify the template in the future. Please reach out anytime you have questions or have difficulties knowing where to place information.

Task List

Task List Please complete the gazetteers pages in the following order:

1. Emerging Homelands
2. Maturing Homelands
3. United States

Project Instructions

Step 1: Go to the list and choose a state from the United States tab. Please finish all countries on the Emerging Homelands tab and the Maturing Homelands Tab before moving on to United States. Put your name under 'completed by' to claim it.
Step 2: Create a sandbox for this page.

Step 3: Drop this Wikicode onto the page:

{{XX-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
| link1=[[United States Genealogy|United States]]
| link2=[[United States Gazetteers|U.S. Gazetteers]] 
| link3=[[STATE, United States Genealogy|STATE]] 
| link4=
| link5=[[STATE Gazetteers|Gazetteers]]
}}

== Online Gazetteers ==

== Print Only Gazetteers == 

== Why Use Gazetteers ==

A gazetteer is a dictionary of place-names. Gazetteers list or describe towns and villages, parishes, states, populations, rivers and mountains, and other geographical features. They usually include only the names of places that existed at the time the gazetteer was published. Within a specific geographical area, the place-names are listed in alphabetical order, similar to a dictionary. You can use a gazetteer to locate the places where your family lived and to determine the civil and religious jurisdictions over those places. 

There are many places within a state with similar or identical place-names. You will need to use a gazetteer to identify the specific town where your ancestor lived, the state the town was or is in, and the jurisdictions where records about the person was kept.

=== Gazetteer Contents ===

Gazetteers may also provide additional information about towns, such as: 

*Different religious denominations 
*Schools, colleges, and universities
*Major manufacturers, canals, docks, and railroad stations
*The population size.
*Boundaries of civil jurisdiction.
*Ecclesiastical jurisdiction(s)
*Longitude and latitude.
*Distances and direction from other from cities.
*Schools, colleges, and universities.
*Denominations and number of churches.
*Historical and biographical information on some individuals (usually high-ranking or famous individuals)

[[Category:STATE, United States]]

Step 4: Replace XX with the state's two letter abbreviation. This will create the sidebar.
Step 5: Replace STATE with the full name of your state. (This will create the state breadcrumbs.)

Step 6: Finding online and print only gazetteers

When you search, you might have to search by a state's colonial or alternative name. Check the following places to find a gazetteer:
Step 6: Use what is already on the page. If the sources on the page aren't digitally available online, then place them under Print Only Gazetteers.
Step 7: Under the heading online gazetteers, add a link for FamilySearch Places. Go here and search for your state. Then, copy the URL and add it to the page. Paste the following on the page:

*[URL FamilySearch Places]

Step 8: Go to the FamilySearch Catalog. Add publishing information. If the sources on the page aren't digitally available online, then place them under Print Only Gazetteers.

*[URL BOOK TITLE] AUTHOR, TITLE, PUBLISHER INFORMATION, YEAR

Step 9: Search "STATE Gazetteer" at archive.org

*[URL BOOK TITLE] AUTHOR, PUBLISHER INFORMATION, YEAR

Step 10: Go to this website. Add state in the search bar.

*[URL BOOK TITLE] AUTHOR, PUBLISHER INFORMATION, YEAR

Step 13: Google Search for the name of your state and online gazetteer. (Avoid gazetteers that aren't helpful like animal or weather gazetteers. A Wikipedia list of places might be helpful.)
Step 11: Select Save changes.
Step 12: Double-check the page to make sure it looks alright. Make sure that the links under Online Gazetteers are actually digitally available online. All other sources should be under Print Only Gazetteers.
Step 13: Go back to the task list and add the finished date and the link to the page you created in your sandbox.