Basic Techniques for Genealogy Data Entry
by Cherie Logan
Examples will be using Mr. John SMITH married to Miss Sarah BLACK
CAPS
Always enter the surnames with all caps. Never use all caps with given names: John SMITH. Many computer programs can be set to do this automatically. You will then type the name as John Smith and let the computer do the work. Just remember to cap the surname when you post inquiries on the net.
MAIDEN NAME
Always use the wife’s maiden name if known: Sarah BLACK.
If her
maiden
name is not known but her given name is known then use just the given
name, not her given name and married name: Sarah, not Sarah Smith
Another
suggestion
is to list her with her married name as Mrs. Sarah Smith because that
will
identify her with her husband.
If her given name is not known you use her husband’s name with Mrs: Mrs. John Smith
If she was married previously still use her maiden name. If the maiden name isn't know because she was listed as Mrs. Sarah Jones married to Mr. John Smith then you would list her as Sarah and list in the notes or make a separate marriage entry to Mr. Jones.
If the husband’s given name is not used you may use either Mr. or just his surname: Mr. Jones or Jones.
STANDARDIZED SPELLING
Use standardized spelling for ease in database searches. WAYMENT may be spelled WAYMANT, WYMANT, WYMENT, WEYMENT. Decide on one spelling for a line and when you find a person whose records included other spellings place that info in the notes. If you use different spellings for surnames of the same family you will slow down your ability to search a particular person. If you have 7 or 8 different spellings and 50 people with that name to look though it is simply tedious. And every time one person has a spelling you have to decide which might be the real one. Standardized spelling didn't really happen until around 1900 so various records could show the same person with several different spellings. Relax. Make it easy by choosing one spelling and using your notes for any others.
DATES Always write the date as the day, month, year. Write the month with three letters and the year with all four numbers: 1 JUN 1978 or 1 Jun 1978.
If you see 1/6/78 it can be either 1 JUN 1978 or 6 JAN 1978. Look around the page for another date and find a number larger than 12. This will be the day. Then apply the same pattern to the date you want.
If you do
not
know the date then approximate it. Use this pattern of assumption:
The
estimations are
not perfect. You can adjust them as needed, for instance, if a
woman
had 14 children and married at 25 years old it is likely that the
children
were closer than 2 years apart. Estimating gives you an idea of
what
and when you are looking as you research. You might never find
the
real date but if you do, editing is easy.
Write approximate dates with the term ‘abt’. John SMITH and Sarah BLACK were married abt. 1878.
PLACES Always use a place. You need a place to do temple work. The county is important so keep an atlas handy. When you don’t know the place of an event then use an approximation. Choose which is the most recent KNOWN place of the individual or their family and use that place. Ideas for place estimation:
Write place
approximates by using the term ‘of’. John SMITH and Sarah BLACK
were married 1 Jul
1878 of Ball, Sangamon, Illinois.
Write out the entire state name. You don’t have to use the term county unless you are in a confusing county: Washington, Illinois is better written Washington county, Illinois. If you have the city, then you don’t need the term county: Ball, Sangamon, Illinois.
ERRORS Be kind to errors that you find in genealogy. If you pursue the hobby long enough I can promise you that you will make errors as well. Don’t let the possibility of errors stop you from doing the proceeding...just be understanding when you find them in others’ work.
LIVING PEOPLE
Do not place the names of possible living people when you do web pages. There are programs that will leave out those born after a certain date. There are several different ways to decide on a cut off point:
FINDING THE GATE
IN THE BRICK WALL Remember to use back-doors, side doors, glass doors and tent flaps when trying to find your people. You might find your great-great grandmother because somebody else is researching her son-in-law’s family and she happened to live with them in her last years. Place inquiries on the web by giving all the surnames associated with your family. And if you discover that great-son-in-law’s parents...you might as well enter them into your database and experience the real meaning of extended family.
Genealogy
Articles
Bringing the Past Home
What is the
big deal
about genealogy? What is it about dead people that makes
thousands of
people chose this hobby? Find out how closely I came to identify
with
a 400 year old mother.
Using the Internet for
Genealogy
Research
The computer
and internet opened the world for the genealogy hobbyist. In an
ever-changing world the goals of family research remains consistent so
the Internet is an
excellent tool. It doesn't matter how long ago a post is made,
the
desire for sharing information about ancestors is always fresh.
This
article gives some excellent links and suggestions for researching with
today's
technology.
The articles were written in the hope that they will help mothers realize just how normal chaotic life with children really is and how priceless the journey.
The Noble Child Email List
Be notified of any new postings in the topics of homeschooling, parenting, home management and just plain fun. Converse with other mothers and keep the joyful perspective while raising children. Many of the mothers are LDS but the list is open to mothers of all religions.
Search My
Site! .
Some Family
Articles - To see others visit my GenCreations Index Page.
