Here are some tips on updating your family tree information

Updating your family tree can be complex using the open source Joomla software on which this website is based. The first thing to do is create an account. The administrator will be notified and will give you author rights which will then allow you to start editing.

To update your family record enter the Family member's name and click Search. Select the correct individual from the list presented and left click on him/her.

There are a large number of individuals in the Woodruff family with the same or similar names. Take care to ensure that you have selected the correct individual by examining the details of their record. Immediately below the name of the individual you have selected you will see a blue bar labelled Personal Facts and Details The last option on that bar is labelled ALL. Click on this to display all the details about that individual. If you have enough information for a positive identification you can proceed to Quick update this person which you will see as clickable blue text under the family member's name. If you have the wrong individual simply click on Search for a Family Member on the left of the screen and start again.

Sometimes you just won't be sure that you have the right person. Please use the Help function on the Home Page and either Ask a Family Member or Contact Administrator. Everyone likes to help others track down family history.

The place to start is the most recent individual in the database. For example if your father and grandfather are recorded but not you, you should start with your father. Enter each generation one at a time. For example, first get all your father's siblings recorded and be sure to record his wife. Stop data entry at that generation and wait for the Administrator to be notified and to approve the data. Then start on your generation, entering yourself and your spouse and your siblings and their spouses. Again stop data entry at that generation and wait for the Administrator to be notified and to approve the data.

This approach will save you from easy to make errors such as recording your sister as your child or your son as your father - it's easy to make such mistakes! One crucial point is to be sure to record a husband and wife before recording children. If one spouse is not present when the children are added it is difficult, not impossible, to modify the records so they can be properly attached to both parents.

Note you can add pictures using the Media function in the blue menu bar under the individual's name.

All information you have added, deleted or changed will be submitted to the Administrator who will review and approve it or contact you to discuss any issues or questions he/she may have. Until the information is approved it will not appear on the site. If you would like to see the changes urgently please use Contact Administrator under Help on the Home Page which will send him/her an email.

If you are having difficulty getting the data into the database you can always just forward all of your information to the Administrator, Laurie Woodruff, who will enter it in the database for you.