First Setup
Give your new archive its identity.
A new JFA installation includes a short setup flow to establish the archive, choose its presentation and optionally bring in genealogy before you start adding family material.
When does the setup guide appear?
The first-install guide is triggered for a genuinely new Family Archive installation. It is not intended to act as a permanent settings screen or to restart every time the plugin is activated.
If you leave the setup before finishing it, JFA keeps a route back to the pending setup so you can continue.
Step 1 — Archive identity
Start by giving the archive a name. This is the identity JFA uses when presenting the family archive to its visitors.
Use a name that makes sense to the family.
The archive does not need to be named after the software. A family name, branch, place or another meaningful archive title can work better than simply calling it JFA.
Step 2 — Homepage and appearance
JFA can work as the main purpose of a WordPress site, or it can live alongside an existing WordPress homepage.
OPTION A
Use Family Archive as the homepage
Choose this when the WordPress site primarily exists to host the family archive.
OPTION B
Keep the WordPress homepage
Choose this when JFA is one part of a broader WordPress website.
You can also choose a starting visual profile for the archive.
Neutral
Neutral
A restrained general-purpose starting point.
Classic
Classic
A more traditional presentation for family-history material.
Modern
Modern
A cleaner contemporary visual profile.
Step 3 — Genealogy
If you already use a genealogy application or service, you can export a GEDCOM file and bring the relevant family structure into JFA.
The GEDCOM importer previews the import first.
The importer shows a preview before anything is written to the archive. Review the planned import before applying it.
You do not have to import genealogy during onboarding. You can skip this step and open the GEDCOM importer later from People & Genealogy.
Step 4 — Finish the setup
After completing the guide, the first-install setup is marked as finished and JFA returns to its normal administration interface.
The archive can now be populated gradually. There is no requirement to import or upload everything before the site becomes useful.
A useful order for your first real content
1
Import or create the relevant people
Having the people in place first makes it easier to connect photographs and documents correctly.
2
Add a small set of representative material
Start with a few photographs and documents rather than trying to migrate an entire archive at once.
3
Review the frontend
Check person pages, archive navigation and the chosen visual profile before importing larger quantities of material.
4
Expand gradually
Add more material, provenance and family access once the archive structure feels right.
You can refine the archive later.
The onboarding is there to create a useful starting point. Archive profile, homepage and appearance settings can be adjusted as the family archive develops.
GEDCOM Import →
Learn how JFA previews, imports and manages genealogy brought in from another application or service.