Help Page

Help Contents

• How to use this web site.
• How information is organized.
• How do I get started?

How to use this web site

If you know the name of someone named Bitting, go to the Index page. This will give you a list of individuals, sorted by their first name. Click on the person's name to view their page and see what information is available. From the individual's page you can move up and down generations by clicking on a parent's or child's name.

If you know the name of someone who married a Bitting go to the Index of Related Family Names. This will give you a list of persons sorted by family name. Click on a person's name to view the page of the associated Bitting.

A site search for any word can be done using a service provided by FreeFind™. The menu sidebar on the left has a box labled Search this site for:. Type the word or words that you want to search for in the box, then press the Find button. The results of your search will be displayed in the right side frame. Searches are limited to pages in this web site.

[top]

How information is organized

This is the main part of this web site and consists of pages that provide details on a particular member of the Bitting family. Each page follows a similar format divided into the following sections:

1. Individual's Name
2. Birth year, place of birth (if known), reference
3. Death year, place of death (if known), reference
4. Spouse section (if there was more than one spouse, each is listed) including:
   • Spouse's name
   • Spouse's birth year, place of birth (if known), reference
   • Spouse's death year, place of death (if known), reference
   • Marriage date, place of marriage (if known), reference
5. Children section, listed chronologically, and by couple
   • Child's name with dates
6. Parents section
   • Father's name
   • Mother's name
7. Biography
   • A short biography is provided if information is available
   • References are provided for some information
   • If an image page is available for the individual, a link to it is provided after the biography title
8. Mail contact and navigation links
9. Date of last web site update

The Index link takes you to the index page. This page lists all of the individuals for whom there is a page. The names are by given (first) name and date of birth and death. Clicking on the name will take you to that person's page. An alphabet bar is provided at the top of the page. Clicking on a letter will take you to names beginning with that letter.

At the top of the index page is a link called Index of Related Family Names. Clicking on this link will take you to a page that lists all related non-Bitting persons. These names are sorted alphabetically by family name.

The Outline page shows all of the Bittings for whom a connection can be made back to the original immigrant. The person's name is shown after a number indicating the generation. After the name is given the birth and death information. Names in blue type and underlined are links to an individual page. Marriage date is shown on the next line down, followed by the spouse's name. Both the marriage date and spouse's name are preceded by a '+'. Children are shown on the following lines with the next higher generation number.

The Images page shows a thumbnail view all of the images (maps, pictures, photographs, etc.) that are available. Clicking on image or the blue type underlined name will take you to the page described. General interest images are listed in the first group, images associated with individual pages in the second. Images associated with individual pages have links back to those pages.

The Links page has a list of links to some other web sites of some interest. People interested in exploring other sites relating to history and genealogy should check out the links of general interest.

The References page lists all of the references used for information in the various pages. References appear as a number in square brackets, e.g. [1]. Clicking on these links takes you to the references page, and scrolls down to the listed references. Some of the references in turn contain links to the text of the source document, some in this web site, some in others.

The Origins page is an essay on the origins of the Bitting family. I hope to expand this some day to provide the history of the family through the years in a narrative fashion.

The Credits page is a page of gratitude to the many people who have helped and contributed to this effort.

[top]

How do I get started?

If you are a novice at researching your family history, I suggest that you go to the Links page and check out some of the sites listed under 3) General information on Genealogy and History. There are many good web sites that offer help in getting started with documenting and researching your family history.

If you are ready to get started, here are some suggestions:

1. Start with what you know. Record all the information about your family (names, dates and relationships). Draw it out on a piece of paper.
2. Talk to other family members (especially older ones) and record what they know. Be sure to keep track of who told you what so that you can go back to check your facts.
3. Check around for old family documents (Bibles, birth certificates, etc.). Get copies of what you can, and make sure you write on the copy where you got it.
4. Visit cemeteries and churches where you think earlier generations lived. Write down what you find, and make sure you record where you found it.
5. Request copies of birth and death certificates for deceased family members.

If you are researching a Bitting line (and I guess you are if you are reading this) check the Index page for the name of your oldest known Bitting relative. If you find a name that matches, and the dates are right, then congratulations! You have found a connection to the Bitting tree. Follow the links to explore you ancestry. If you find something that seems incorrect (and I'm sure there are some mistakes), double check your information, then email me to let me know what you found. Better still, if you have new information to add, email me. I love to get new information.

If you don't find the ancestor that you are looking for in the index, don't despair. Email me with the name of the person you are looking for. Sometimes I don't publish information either because I'm not sure of my data, or I think it may relate to a living person. I have other information that may help you, so let me know who you are looking for. I don't have a lot of time for research, but I am happy to help when I can.

In my opinion, the two most important things to researching your family history are: persistence and documentation. There are many times when you will think that you have hit a brick wall. Don't give up! Information sometimes comes when you least expect it. Be sure to record where you found your information. At some point you will need to double check it.

[top]