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📍 Places Page – User Guide
The Places Page displays all geographical locations in your family tree where events (birth, death, marriage, etc.) occurred. Use it to explore ancestral locations, visualize migration, and connect people to their geographic history.
$$\text{How to Access: } \text{yoursite.com/genealogy/places/} \text{ or via the Genealogy Hub link.}$$
Page Overview and Navigation
Main Places List (What You’ll See)
The main list shows locations organized by country heading and provides:
- Place Name: The full location name (clickable to view details).
- People Count: The number of individuals connected to events at this location.
- Map Icon (🗺️): A quick link to view the place on a map.
Top Navigation & Filtering
| Feature | Location | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Breadcrumbs | Top left. | Home > Genealogy > Places. Allows easy navigation back to previous pages. |
| Page Header | Top. | Displays the total number of unique locations in your database (e.g., “487 locations”). |
| Tree Filter | Top, if multiple trees exist. | Allows you to filter the list to All Trees or a specific family tree. |
Searching, Browsing, and Display
Search Bar
Use the search bar to find specific locations by typing keywords (city, state, country, etc.).
- Type your search term in the box.
- Click Search to filter the list.
- Click Clear to remove the search.
Display Options
| Feature | Setting Options | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Results Per Page | 20, 50 (default), or 100. | Choose how many places to display per page. |
| Showing Count | Top of the list. | Confirms which records are currently displayed (e.g., “Showing 1-50 of 487”). |
| Pagination | Bottom of the list. | Use ← Previous, Next →, and numbered links to navigate large lists. |
Viewing a Place Detail Page
Clicking any place name or map icon takes you to a dedicated detail page.
What You’ll See
- Place Name: The full location name is displayed prominently at the top.
- Interactive Map: A map showing the exact location with a marker (requires geocoding).
- People List: A table of everyone connected to events at this specific location.
People Table
This table shows individuals who have events at the location:
| Column | Content Displayed |
|---|---|
| Name | Person’s full name (clickable link to their profile). |
| Event Count | The number of events (birth, death, residence, etc.) that person had at this location (e.g., “3 events”). |
Privacy Note: The people list automatically respects your settings; only deceased or public individuals appear here.
What You Can Do (Use Cases)
| Use Case | Goal / Insight |
|---|---|
| Explore Migration | Browse by country to explore different regions, or search for places to identify geographic clusters of family activity. |
| Connect People & Places | Click the Place Name to see the full list of ancestors who lived or had events in that location. |
| Find Key Locations | Check the people counts to see which locations were most important or central to your family’s history. |
| Research Planning | Use the interactive maps to visualize ancestral hometowns and plan research trips to cemeteries or archives. |
Understanding Place Data
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| How Places Are Created | Places are automatically extracted from your GEDCOM file’s event data (Birth, Death, Marriage, Residence, etc.). |
| Place Format | Places generally follow a specific-to-general hierarchy: $\text{City, County, State, Country}$. |
| Geocoding | Places with coordinates (latitude/longitude) display the map. The admin area’s geocoding feature can add coordinates to places that lack them. |
| Duplicate Locations | Variations in place spelling are treated as separate entries unless they share the exact same coordinates. |
Privacy and Display
- Place Visibility: All place names and their counts are publicly visible.
- People List Privacy: The list of associated individuals is filtered: Living and private individuals are hidden from the people list on the detail page.