When I enter a date, I usually use the following criteria for entering the date.
I use "estimated" (Est) to refer to dates based on a standard genealogical method of dating marriages and births. When a date is unknown, but other facts about a person are known, then a date is estimated based upon those facts using the following standard. A marriage date can be estimated either from a known birth date of the bride or groom or first child. The standard genealogical estimate for a marriage is one year before the birth of the first child. The standard estimated date for a first marriage is based upon 21 years of age for the bride and 25 years of age for the groom. You could also do the reverse--estimate a birth date from a marriage date based on the same standards. I would estimate birth dates for subsequent children using the standard of two years between the births of each child. I use "about" when I am basing the information upon family traditions, historical events, etc. I would include documentation and notes to explain the source of the date. I use "calculated" (Cal)before a date when a record indicates a person's age at the time when the event occurred, such as on a death certificate or in a census. I then include in the notes how I calculated the date. It is important to note the source of the calculated date, just as it would for any other source of information. For between dates I use "from Day/Month/Year to Day/Month/Year". If I have evidence that an event has occurred before or after a certain time period, I will use "before" or "after" preceding the date. For example, if a woman is listed as a widow in a census, I would record the husband's death has having occurred before the date the census was taken. I also retain <computer generated dates>. That tells me that a computer program estimated the dates. When I find other evidence for that date, I will then change those dates and remove the brackets. I use research notes to put hypotheses about when an event could have occurred. I don't usually record that kind of information in the actual date field. For example, if a 22 year old daughter appears with her family in one census, but is missing in the next census, I may hypothesize a marriage for that daughter within that ten year time period. However, I would not record a marriage until I had found some evidence that a marriage exists. I would record my hypothesis in research notes and label it as a hypothesis, so that someone would not mistake that for evidence of a marriage and look for a hypothetical marriage as though it had actually occurred. Legacy accepts these different date formats, so I have no problem recording my dates this way. Mary H. Slawson has written a book "Getting it Right" which gives some very common sense guidance on recording your information. Her illustrations show Legacy screens, so it is easy to use with Legacy. I concur with Ron. I think it is best to use standard practices when recording information. Then you won't run into trouble when you try to make a gedcom or share your data with someone else in report forms. Barbara Robertson -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ron Klotz Zellhoefer Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 9:49 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] learning from mistakes Sandra, Legacy appears to "understand" date prefixes such as Est, Abt and Cir, which are not reported by Legacy as "Bad Dates"; a reason to avoid "me 1887" or "SD 1887 SD", etc. I'm not sure about which such formats are usuable in calculations, but certainly non-standard date formats won't work. I feel that most anyone would understand "Est" as just some sort of educated guess, so see no need to further identify or source such, as it can be replaced with a verifiable date whenever found. I remember years back having pehaps 25 people in my list who were named "Maria", not other data -- no surname, no dates, nadda! Using an Est date really does help! HTL RonKZ Anyway, ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sandra Duncan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, 27 May, 2005 08:54 Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] learning from mistakes > Hi Ron > I do not always enter a birth date but because of you I MAY start. I > have discovered that when I calculate a date from provided data such as > died > 8 may 1748 age 79 y 3m 2d I can enter b. cal [calculated] 6 Feb 1668 and > nothing bad happens to the date as far as I can see so I am thinking that > when and if "I" add a date I might enter me 1887 me standing for myself or > SD 1887 SD being my initials letting me know that the date was entirely my > idea and in notes I may explain how "I" came to pick that date. I have not > tried any reports using this technique so I have no idea how or if it will > work out yet. > > Rootsweb.com Admin: {for} Caplinger, Duncan, Forsythe, > Mounce, Schoonover, Tyler, Vanscoy, Wilmoth, Zane > > Sandra Tyler Duncan > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www.gencircles.com/users/purplevw1/1 > *-* THE GREATEST*-* > http://www.progenealogists.com/genealogysleuthb.htm > ================================ > Work like you don't need the money. > Love like you've never been hurt. > Dance like nobody's looking. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Ron Klotz Zellhoefer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 6:54 AM > Subject: Re: [LegacyUG] learning from mistakes > > >> Hi, >> I'm coming into this thread late, but ... >> When posting an individual with no known birthdate, I *always enter >> something* for birthdate. >> Perhaps most frequently is finding/posting a parent, where e.g. >> "[childbirthdate]-30" may be appropriate, posted as e.g. "Est 1848". >> Two benefits -- >> first that Legacy will then mark the individual as dead at an appropriate >> future date >> second it's most helpful in e.g. Index View for sorting individuals >> and/or >> in just plain seeing *something* which might help one "recognize" that >> individual, especially amongst many with the same name! >> HTL >> RonKZ >> >> Legacy User Group Etiquette guidelines can be found at: >> http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp >> >> To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ >> >> To unsubscribe please visit: >> http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp >> > > > Legacy User Group Etiquette guidelines can be found at: > http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp > > To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ > > To unsubscribe please visit: > http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp Legacy User Group Etiquette guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp Legacy User Group Etiquette guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp
