Facebook Formatting

Facebook Formatting

There is an issue with document formatting on Facebook.

I tried two ways of sharing a document on Facebook that didn't work well.

First, I copied obituary text that I'd extracted from a Find A Grave memorial. I made some addtions using square brackets [ ] and uploaded my file as a "Document" to a Facebook Group. This didn't work well. Paragraph breaks were inserted between text several sentences long and a one line piece of information in parentheses that should have followed immediately after the text.

Next, I tried copying the same text as a "post" to the Group. This resulted in the same problem, excessive paragraph breaks.

Here's how I solved the problem. I was working with a couple who didn't have children. There was an obituary for the wife only. I told RootsMagic to create a Family Group sheet for the couple. I saved the output as a PDF file. I uploaded the PDF to the Facebook Files area of the Group just as I have often done with Descendant Reports as PDFs.  As a result the obituary paragraph formatting appears to my liking and the PDF can be previewed online or downloaded.

Dick Henthorn

3 Jun 2020

LDS Ancestral File Numbers

Here's a PDF that lists the LDS Ancestral File Numbers (AFN) in my pafyoh RootsMagic database.

An HTML link to the report, which is stored on my Google Drive account, displays the report. I adjusted the width to 425 to make the pop-out button visible on this page.

There is a "pop-out" arrow in the upper righthand corner. The bottom and right hand scroll bars also work without using the pop-out option. Use the plus-sign to enlarge the display to make the bottom scroll bar appear.

The purpose of this post was to assist me in the learning process. I think the result is pretty cool. There is always more to learn.

Dick Henthborn
13 Mar 2018

Walter A. McDowell

Walter A. McDowell

I obtained the obituary of Walter A. McDowell who died on 14 Dec 2017 from a Facebook post. I worked on adding information about members of his family to my pafyoh file for several days.

I created an ancestor report for Walter, starting with a son.  The PDF report, with every name and place name indices, was 60-pages. Surnames include: Cain, Gorby, Johnson, Mason, McDowell, Pyles, Richmond, Ruckman.

From the same project I created a descendant report for the family of Perry Johnson and Elizabeth Long. The PDF report, with every name and place name indices, was 50-pages. Surnames include: Johnson, Lemasters, Mason, McDowell, Pyles, Richmond, Rine.

I uploaded the two reports to a folder on my Box account where access is limited. I am willing to share with others who agree to reciprocate.

Dick Henthorn

17 Dec 2017

HenthornFamily - Cemeteries

HenthornFamily - Cemeteries:

New Cemetery Reports - May 2017

Today I added seven new cemetery reports to my WikiSpaces genealogy website.

These cemetery reports were created using information in my RootsMagic file, named, pafyoh. To create the reports I had to master the creation of Custom reports on RootsMagic. It's a multi-step process. Once you get the hang of it it isn't too complicated. I found the learning curve challenging.

The reports are in the PDF format and show cemetery information based on county names. The reports can be viewed on your computer screen and they can be saved on your computer.

There are three columns in the report.

1. Surname, Given
2. Death Date
3. Cemetery location and cemetery name

The reports are sorted by: Surname, Given Name, Date of Death.

When death dates aren't complete or cemetery names are not present, I seek this information.

Dick Henthorn
27 May 2017
'via Blog this'

John Woodrow Richmond and Helen Lucille Postlewaite

John Woodrow Richmond and Helen Lucille Postlewaite

Recently I prepared a 9-page PDF report about the family of John Woodrow Richmond and Helen Lucille Postlewaite and shared it to, my membership only, Henthorn Genealogy page on Facebook.

I worked on the Richmond family for many years.  More recently, I began compiling information about the Postlewaite family (There are several spellings for the last name, Postlewaite.)

The descendants of this couple have links to: Cecil; Dakan; Goddard; Parsons; Thomas; Weekly; Wood; Wykert; Yeater; and Yoho to name a few. Below I'm sharing the information I have recorded in the individual records of the couple.

I often record Social Security Numbers in my file.  I have a switch set to leave out the SSN when I create a report. You can see how that looks in the information about John Woodrow Richmond.

If this family is of interest, and you are willing to reciprocate, contact me to arrange sharing of information.

******

John Woodrow RICHMOND was born on 14 Feb 1915 in Newdale, Wetzel Co., WV. He died on 11Nov 1977 at the age of 62 in New Martinsville, Wetzel Co., WV. He was buried in Nov 1977 in New Martinsville, Wetzel Co., WV, Northview Cemetery.

John Woodrow Richmond

PARENTS: Parson Seth Richmond and LaSena Florence Phillips

MARRIAGE: 10 Sep 1935 (25/312). No location given.
(Source: Ohio Valley Richmonds - Their Kith and Kin, Ethel L. Briggs, 1976, p. 83)

Problem: Was the middle name, Woodrow or Woodroe?

SS Death Index: John Richmond; b. 14 Feb 1915;issued: WV; d. Nov 1977; last place of residence: New Martinsville, WV; zipcode: 26155;

FINDAGRAVE: Memorial# 55418177


John Woodrow RICHMOND and Helen Lucille "Lucille" POSTLEWAITE were married on 10 Sep 1935 in Wetzel Co., WV. Helen Lucille "Lucille" POSTLEWAITE, daughter of General Sherman POSTLETHWAITE and Eva Myrtle BERDINE, was born on 14 Jun 1920 in Pine Grove, Wetzel Co., WV. She died on 22 Mar 2010 at the age of 89 in New Martinsville, Wetzel Co., WV. She was buried in Mar 2010 in New Martinsville, Wetzel Co., WV, Northview Cemetery.

Helen Lucille Postlewaite

PARENTS: General Sherman Postlethwaite and Eva Myrtle Berdine
(Furnished by Richard E. Henthorn)

AKA: Lucille

FINDAGRAVE: Memorial# 52241462

CHILDREN: Eleven


Richard E. Henthorn
7 Sep 2016

'via Blog this'

Theodore William Rine and Sarah Malissa Hunt

This evening I shared a 14-page PDF update for the family of Theodore William Rine and Sarah Malissa Hunt on my "secret" Facebook page.  They lived in Pacific Co., WA.

I have been working on compiling information about the Rine family for many years.

Access to the Facebook page is limited, by request.  I'm willing to share the information with others who have an interest if they are willing to reciprocate.

Dick Henthorn

22 May 2016

Ancestors of Samuel Godard and Eliza A. Fair

Ancestors of Samuel Godard and Eliza A. Fair

The Samuel Godard Letter

On 13 Nov 1899 Samuel Godard wrote a letter about his family.  Researcher, Linda (Goddard) Stout, obtained a copy of the document and converted it into eight typewritten pages on 27 Dec 1982.  In early March 2016, Bev Baker scanned the eight pages, with some hand-written notes, and shared them on Facebook.  Researcher, Richard E. Henthorn, spent several days working with the document to make certain he had all of the decipherable information in his genealogy file.

Researchers Who Shared Their Information

Anderson, T. Vernon
Baker, Bev
Baker, Lendal
Baker, Mrs. Leonard
Bininger, Virginia L. (Baker)
Briggs, Ethel L.
Carson, Earl
Fedorchak, Catherine (Foreaker)
Finnicum, Ada (Smith)
Godard, Samuel
Headlee, Alvah Washington
Henderson, James
Kennedy, Beverly
Lincicome, Glen Allan
Mason, V. Kay
Stanley, Clarice (Eller)
Stout, Linda (Goddard)
Yoho, Denver Clayton
Yoho, Gail V. (Cecil)
Yoho, Hugh Lemoyne
Yoho, James Robert & Vivian
Yoho, Sullivan Blair

Mr. Henthorn Shares Samuel Godard Ancestor Report

Until Saturday, 12 March 2016, Richard is sharing his 67-page ancestor PDF report for the family of Samuel Godard and Eliza A. Fair with anyone who encounters the link in this blog report.  The report includes: a name index and a place name index.  The report is stored on Richard's Box account and can be viewed and downloaded from there.  The report starts with McLean Goddard, one of the sons of Samuel and Eliza Godard.  Note that the son's of Samuel spelled their surname, Goddard.

To obtain a copy of the document after the cut-off date you will need to contact Mr. Henthorn directly.

Samuel Godard Report URL

Samuel Godard Report URL

Comments About Using Box

By default Box displays the document with its own quick PDF viewer which doesn't do a very good job of displaying the text, it's poorly formatted.  Don't let this discourage you.

There is a gray tool bar at the bottom of the viewer screen (move the mouse over the page if the tool bar doesn't display).  Click on the Printer icon and the Adobe Reader will display the document. If  you decide you want a copy of the document downloaded to your computer click on the Disc icon button in the upper right while viewing with the Adobe Reader. You will be asked to supply a Folder name and File name for the download and then click, Save.

Request For Corrections and Additions

As always, corrections and additions are welcome and appreciated.

Richard E. Henthorn
6 March 2016

Kenneth Allen Higginbotham

Kenneth Allen Higginbotham

Yesterday I prepared an 80-page ancestral report, in the PDF format, for Kenneth Allen Higginbotham and his ancestors. I shared the report with selected researchers on my Facebook genealogy page. I'm writing here about this report in case it's of interest to others who are following my genealogy projects. Access to the report is available to others not in the Facebook group by request only.

The report includes information about the following surnames:

• Higginbotham
• Henthorn
• Willey
• Furbee
• Briggs
• Postlethwait

Dick Henthorn

26 February 2016

Frederick Ice, Sr.

As a New Year's gift to folks who can demonstrate a valid interest in the family of Frederick Ice, Sr. I created a 2247-page PDF genealogy of Frederick Ice, Sr. and his descendants. It's large, about 80MB. (I don't know why the Box Preview says there are 999 pages.)

This is a compilation of information from many sources. Thanks to everyone who shared information. This isn't everything that's available. I'm still working on adding more information to my file from time to time.

The PDF file is located on my Box account. It will be available for sharing until 9 January 2016.

Contact me to justify your interest and obtain the URL to access and download the report.

Dick Henthorn

Email: Dick.Henthorn@gmail.com

1 January 2016

Lazarus Rine

As a Christmas gift I am sharing a 1062-page PDF (36.5 MB) genealogy of the family of Lazarus Rine with the members of my secret Facebook genealogy page.  I posted the URL link to the document on the Facebook page.

The file is stored on my Box account.  The link to the file will expire on 26 Dec 2015.  Viewing the file with the Box "preview" is garbled.  Once downloaded the file can be opened with the Acrobat Reader and viewed without problems.

I'm willing to share the file with readers of this blog provided that I know you and that we have a reciprocal sharing arrangement.  Contact me to request the link.  In your message identify yourself, provide your Email address and justify why I should share this information with you.

Dick Henthorn
21 December 2015

Earl Carson - Baker Researcher

Yesterday I created a 26-page ancestor report in PDF format for deceased Baker researcher, Earl Carson and his wife. They had no issue. The report shows where I think Mr. Carson fits into the Baker family tree. Researcher Valerie Kramer reported that he worked on genealogy for 40 years and never published anything. Pity!

The report starts with a non-existent person called, Place Holder. I used this technique in order to include the wife of Mr. Carson in the report. If she had an ancestral line in my file they would thusly be included. After the report is created I "unlink" Place Holder from the parents, but leave the record in my genealogy file waiting for the next time I need it.

The report was uploaded to my "secret" Henthorn Genealogy area on Facebook where it is available for viewing and download to members of the group. If you aren't a member, and want to be included, contact me to apply for membership.

Dick Henthorn

3 November 2015

William Dearth Family

Today I created a 65-page PDF about the family of William Dearth.  This report may be of interest to folks working on families in Monroe county, Ohio.  I'm working on Nalley and there was a link to Dearth. Before I knew it I was working on the Dearth family.

Included are the following families: Dearth, Nalley, Brister, Winland, Okey, Decker and Ogden. I am aware that researchers, Mr. Decker and Mr. Ogden are both included.

The report was shared with a limited group of people via a secret Henthorn Genealogy page that I created on Facebook some time ago. Access to the page is by invitation.

Dick Henthorn
18 October 2015

Clegg Family

This week I am doing some updates to my file that I call Charts.  I'm adding more information to the Clegg family of the upper Ohio valley.  I'm not sure how much time I'm willing to spend on the project or when I will be ready to share the results.

In the meantime, here's the link to a 51-page PDF for Thomas Clegg that I shared in the past.  I'm fortunate to have a copy of Cleggs of the Upper Ohio Valley that compiler Blaine L. Clegg shared with me many years ago.

Thomas Clegg 

Dick Henthorn
30 July 2015

PDF Reports

I maintain a secret  Henthorn Genealogy Group on Facebook.  Membership is by invitation only. In the last few months that's where I have been sharing my genealogy projects.

Today I posted two PDF descendant reports which include name and place indices:

• Jacob W. Mason, Jr. - 107 pages
• Allen Arbogast - 12 pages (includes marriages to two members of the Rine family)

Dick Henthorn

15 June 2015

Sharing Genealogy Files Via Facebook

In the last few months I have been doing some genealogy on Facebook. While it is possible to share a file within a Group, by uploading to the Group, this isn't always convenient.  Sometimes I want to share a PDF, RTF or TXT file privately.

It can be done.  However, the process is somewhat tedious and not user friendly.

In this post I'll attempt to describe the process of sending a file, or files, as an attachment to a Message.

Click on the talk bubbles in the blue bar at the top of the screen.

Click on "See All" at the bottom of the drop down box.

Click on "New Message" or on a recipient's profile photo on the left side of the screen.

Fill in the "To" line, then look at the bottom of the screen for "Write A Message" or "Write A Reply," depending on whether you are starting a new message or responding to a message thread already started. Notice the paper clip and "Add Files," below the box where you write your message. Click on "Add Files" once for each file you want to send.  I recommend leaving the "Press Enter to send" box unchecked.  That is to say, use the "Send" button when you have your message ready and the file or files attached. This will prevent inadvertently sending the message if you press the Enter key while writing the message.

If you are the message recipient, to download the file go to your messages. Find the message with the attachment.  Click on "download" to the right of the file name.

*****************************************

Issue I Encountered Because Of My Setup 

I'm using the Chrome Browser so what I describe here(between the rows of asterisks) probably won't be an issue on your computer. When I click on "download" my browser uses a Chrome PDF Viewer extension to display (preview) the file. That is to say I have to take additional action to get the file to download.  The top of the preview screen looks like this. 

After the file displays I need to click on the right most icon on the PDF Viewer menu bar. (The one with the up-seeking arrow.) This is followed by clicking "Open Original" which downloads the PDF to my computer. 

After I disabled the PDF Viewer extension there wasn't any issue with the download. When I clicked on "download" the file immediately downloaded to my download folder.

********************************************

Suggestions for changes or additions to what I wrote would be appreciated.

Thanks to Marv Byard and T. Vernon Anderson for helping me with the testing and learning exercise.

Dick Henthorn

8 March 2015

Ice Family

I did some work on two branches of the Ice family and posted short PDF descendant reports to the Ice family page on Facebook (closed group).

• Alpheus Reynolds Ice
• Isaac W. Ice

Some of the folks following the Ice family had posted short messages to the page which prompted my response.  I remain hopeful that people will respond to what I share by filling in some of the information or making suggestions for corrections. There isn't much of that activity going on.

Dick Henthorn
31 January 2015

Exchanging Information On Facebook

There are country groups and family groups for genealogy on Facebook.  Lately, there have been some good exchanges of information on the Greene county, Pennsylvania and Wetzel county, West Virginia groups.  Some of the folks have subscriptions to Ancestry.com. I have never subscribed, so I don't really have an appreciation for what is available.  Today I read some good information about ship arrivals.

From time to time I shared PDF files to the File areas of some of the groups.  I encourage others to share in a similar manner.  That idea hasn't amounted to much, to date.

I also encourage everyone to learn how to use their genealogy programs.  Learn to export and import GEDCOM files.  Learn how to produce files in "text" or PDF format and be willing to reciprocate when someone shares information.

Plan ahead. Give thought to which libraries you might want to donate a copy of your work.

Dick Henthorn
29 January 2015

Sharing Information

I'm concerned about how I share the information I have compiled.  I'd rather not share with folks I don't know or with those I know who don't reciprocate when I share information.

I'm of the opinion that there are as many rules about how to do genealogy as there are people doing genealogy.  Sharing information always opens the door to criticism.
Some say:

• "It's all wrong." 
• "Send me everything you've got."
• "You didn't cite enough sources."
• "You didn't cite your sources in the approved manner."
• "You have too much information about the living in your files."
• "I don't want you to have any information in your files about my family."
• "The dates you recorded are wrong."
• "The places you recorded are wrong."
• "That's not the name of this person."

Today I'm testing another method of sharing.  The idea is to share a PDF report on a limited basis, say 48-hours.  I can do this using the application Files To Friends. Files uploaded remain available for download for two days.

I'm sharing the URL to a 51-page Descendant Report for the family of Thomas and Mary Clegg here and also on my Henthorn Genealogy group on Facebook.  The link expires on 29 Jan 2015 at 10:38 a.m.

Dick Henthorn
27 January 2015

HenthornFamily Wiki

HenthornFamily Wiki

Today I am pleased to announce that the HenthornFamily Wiki is once again active and available to family and friends who are interested in my genealogy projects.

The WikiSpaces company discontinued "free" Wiki space.  Rather than lose all of the information I've been sharing I decided to pay for a one-year subscription at the "Plus" level.  I haven't thought much about what features this will entail.  Perhaps the most important aspect is that the subscription includes 2GB of space.

WikiSpaces Page

Did you know that the HenthornFamily Wiki is a collaborative Wiki? This means two things and perhaps more 1) Visitors can make comments and 2) they can post their own information. As far as I know no one has done this in the months that the Wiki has been available.  Therefore, I'm not certain how this works. I'm interested in working with anyone who has the time and interest to try out this idea.

Here's the link to the HenthornFamily Wiki:

HenthornFamily Wiki

P.S.
After I reactivated the Wiki I noticed there is a problem with PDF files that I stored on the Wiki. They don't display correctly.  I think you can download to your computer.  Before I contact the Help folks I'll need to refresh my memory about how files are uploaded and stored on the Wiki.  I wonder if the problem has anything to do with the fact that my account was inactive for a while since they stopped offering the "free" space.  I'm making no promises about how soon I'll deal with and resolve the problem.  I apologize for any inconvenience.

Dick Henthorn

4 December 2014

Baker, Lavina and George Alltop

Link to: George Alltop and Lavina Baker PDF

Experimenting with TinyURL.

Dick Henthorn
19 November 2014