* Newbie to FH6, Improper location on map question

[Daffypuck]

Forgive me, but I am a total newb to this software and beginning my family tree research. Like most, Im learning on the fly, but one thing I cant seem to fix is the location marker of one particular family member in my tree. When I go to the map view it shows a member that I labeled as Downey, CA, yet it places the marker in S. Africa. I used the same label for myself and it placed it in the proper place, but for a grand parent it didnt. Ive tried deleting it and re entering it as "Downy California" and it still places the marker in S. Africa. Sorry for the dumb question, but the software, thus far is a bit overwhelming. I just want to understand and fix this one little part before I continue building my family tree. Thanks!

[LornaCraig]

I have just tested this. The following are all correctly plotted:
Downey, CA
Downey, California
Downey, California, USA

But Downy, CA is plotted in South Africa. The spelling is important. If you zoom right in on the point plotted in South Africa you will find it is centred on Downy Street!

[tatewise]

Welcome to the FHUG.

Rather than learning on the fly may I advise you to study the how_to:key_features_for_newcomers|> Key Features for Newcomers before going too far. Many new users say that they wish they had spent more time understanding the features of FH before entering so much data, and having to start over again from scratch.

It is also useful if you use the names of things in the FH dialogues.
Otherwise, although you know what you are talking about, we don't.

So by label you presumably mean Place.
If you have already used a Place that plots in the correct location, then elsewhere clear the Place field, and start slowly typing the Place name EXACTLY as the successful one, and FH will automatically offer matching Place names. Keep typing until the successful is offered then stop typing. That will then map to EXACTLY the same location.

It is advisable to use more than just a city and state. Preferably also include the county and add USA.
e.g. Downey, Los Angeles County, CA, USA that should help avoid incorrect plots
Even misspelt Downy, Los Angeles County, CA, USA plots correctly in LA.

If you change the Place name then clear the geocoding Lat/Long to force the geocoding to refresh.

BTW: If you have been trying several similar Place names, check the Places tab in the Records Window and you may find multiple Place records with similar Place names and Links set to 0 which means they are unused and can be deleted.

[Gowermick]

One tip to aid geo-coding you may not be aware of:
In the map window, you can ‘drag’ a name from the list and ‘drop’ it on the correct spot on the map for greater accuracy.

[BobWard]

I'm sure that I am in the minority here, but my approach for avoiding mis-plotted PLACE locations is to manually geo-code all PLACEs in my database. I research each Place using sources such as WikiPedia or Google Earth to get accurate coordinates. I enter those coordinates into my PLACE database and then immediately have FH plot the location in the map window. I zoom in on the map window to make sure that the marker is right where I want it to be. If the marker is slightly off, I use the Enable Marker Dragging icon to move it to where it should be.

For this approach, it is very important that the Map Window options box does not include a tick mark in the "Enable Auto-Geocoding" feature. Additionally, the "Block Refresh for Non-tentative Geocodes" should have a tick mark in it's box.

I also use the Note box for each Place location to enter the history for that specific Place - such history is a simple copy & paste from Wikipedia, or, a type-written entry from my personal knowledge. My database currently contains 1,405 detailed PLACE records, which provides a very rich history of the geographic locations associated with the events in the lives of all my relatives.

[Daffypuck]

Thanks for of your replies. The biggest issue I have is making sure I have the correct names for my paternal side, being that they are Finnish names and places. I have some vacation coming up in May and I plan on dedicating a full day or two to immersing myself into this project. You know how it is, its like that first day of algebra or trig and you open the text book and say to yourself "Im never gonna learn this?" But in hindsight, it was a piece of cake, for the most part. On a side note, am I under the correct impression that once youve finished with your tree, you can upload it to different genealogy sites and the site will automatically connect you to other trees from other users which can help you fill in gaps and connect with people related to you?

[Gowermick]

If you upload your tree to Ancestry ( for example), Ancestry will provide you with Hints, in much the same way as FH does. Not all these hints will be correct, especially from other peoples trees. My advice, as a newcomer, is to treat all these tree hints as suspect until you’ve verified them for yourself, using the sources provided by the tree owner. My mantra is No Source-No Copy.
Lots of misinformation in trees is circulated because people copy without checking first.

Same goes for transcriptions, if possible, always check this for yourself! Only yesterday I was tracing someone through the baptisms of his children and although all showed he was a Hatter by trade, some entries were various transcribed as Slater or Flatter

[tatewise]

I am fascinated with the concept of "once youve finished with your tree".
When does that happen?
There is always another ancestor or descendant branch to expand, or occupation to investigate, or historical event to study.