I agree with La Nell. To add one thing - I dislike intensely the practice of some database managers using the term unknown in any name field, which is not recommended by professionals. However I also dislike the practice of simply leaving a name field blank. And I don't think the pros recommend the use of even a question mark, but I like the question mark because it is an easy identifer in name index lists. So, anyway, when I encounter an unknown FIRST or LAST name, I put some simple identifying information in the name field itself, but in this case there are two siblings to reference and normally there is only one spouse, etc. So, anyway, here's the idea:
Surname Field: DOE First Name Field: Given Name ? (Father of James and Jason) Other examples: Surname Field: ROBINSON First Name Field: Given Name ? (Husband of Mary Merriam) Surname Field: MERRIAM First Name Field: Mary ? (Wife of John) So far, for us this has been the best way to provide some completeness and continuity to unknown names and makes it easier by the name field itself to find a little bit of information about who that person is linked to... Plus, it helps clean up your name indexes so they don't look so haphazard and incomplete when you have a bunch of unknowns. Thanks, Jerry Boor / http://www.MerriamFamilyTree.org On Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 10:03 PM, La Nell Shores <[email protected]> wrote: > When I have that situation I add into the notes of the unknown father this > phrase: "Nothing is known of this person at this time. He is only a space > holder for two siblings. Further research is needed." > > La Nell Shores > Sent from my iPhone > > On Jul 13, 2011, at 6:08 PM, Jenny M Benson <[email protected]> wrote: > > > On 13/07/2011 23:37, [email protected] wrote: > >> Let’s say I have two men that I know are brothers but I don’t know > who > >> their father is. For me to get them linked as brothers I have to put in > >> a father. > >> James Doe and Jason Doe are brothers. I have to put just the surname > >> Doe as a father so that they will show as brothers, does that make > >> sense? The problem is, Mr. Doe is showing as a person with no sources > >> at all. I am a little OCD about making sure everyone has sources Smile > >> Smile Smile Is there anyway else to link the two brothers? > > > > I have at least 2 similar cases - well actually in my cases I do know > > who the father is but because of my minimal interest in the people > > concerned I do not want a full entry in my database for their father. > > All I have is the father's surname, just in order to show the children > > as siblings. It doesn't bother me (and I normally quite fanatical about > > sources too) that I have no Source for Daddy because he will never have > > any information added or appear in any Report. > > > > -- > > Jenny M Benson > > > > > > Legacy User Group guidelines: > > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp > > Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. 21 2009: > > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > > Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp > > Follow Legacy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and > on our blog (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). > > To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp > > > > > > > Legacy User Group guidelines: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp > Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. 21 2009: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp > Follow Legacy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and > on our blog (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). > To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp > > > Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp Follow Legacy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and on our blog (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
