Hi Elizabeth
It seems strange as NICK is one of the standard 5.5 tags in the list I have
Mike Fisher Wythall,WOR One-Place Genealogical Study http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~wythallindex/index.htm
----- Original Message ----- From: "E.Rodier" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2005 4:32 PM
Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] Nicknames
Michael,
Part of *useful* data entry is checking the results of GEDCOM transfers, no matter how well you like advanced data entry options in the original genealogy program. Sort names, sort dates and place name changes are often lost in GEDCOM transfers. Legacy 5 keeps nicknames from PAF 5 using a direct import or a GEDCOM. Look on the main individual screen and select first icon to the right of the surname.
Perhaps you could edit the GEDCOM file to change NICK to one of the name variation fields that Legacy allows if the nickname isn't listed automatically as an Alternate Name. Print a sample Legacy 5 GEDCOM with the nickname entered the Legacy way and then compare with the original GEDCOM.
If nicknames are important to identify specific individuals, they are needed on printed charts that may be limited to the main name field. You might try Michael "Mike" Fisher, though some researchers use single quotes or brackets for name variations.
My relatives around the world have slow Internet service and one recent snail-mail is a follow up on 1972 typed notes forwarded by the Archives. The new researcher was born in 1982 but didn't include e-mail in the letter. Others have been unable to use downloadable genealogy software like Legacy with frequent online updates. Most family information comes to me as a short plain text e-mail Outline report with an occasional attachment report or picture.
Name variations are different in nearly every genealogy program and do not transfer well by GEDCOM. NICK would be considered a custom tag rather than an alternate name in some programs. AKA is usually one field without a source. Title (prefix) and suffix are also a problem. Dr. Charles T., son of Rev. Charles T. in my file became Sir Charles T. For the purposes of family history, Rev and Sir are in the main name field because father and son are sometimes mentioned in the same paragraph.
My method is to use one "report" name for each individual and explain name variations in the first sentence of individual (general in Legacy 5) notes. Other researchers insist on using the "birth" name or "official" name even if there are multiple same-name relatives easily confused. -- Elizabeth
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