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Archiver > NJHUNTER > 2001-01 > 0978739294


From: "Mary Jo C. Martin" <>
Subject: [NJHUNTER] Fw: Citing countries in publications and databases
Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2001 11:01:34 +1100


Below is a copy of an email that I recently sent to the editors of the
Ancestry.com online magazine. I thought it might be useful to others, so
I'm forwarding it to this list to get your opinion. What do you all think?
Is the tone correct? Are the points that I made helpful?

Thanks!
Mary Jo C. Martin
Melbourne, Australia


-----Original Message-----
From: Mary Jo C. Martin <>
To: <>
Date: Saturday, 6 January 2001 10:54
Subject: Citing countries as well


>Your Ancestry Quick Tip of 2 Jan 2001 about including the state of
>reference, by Ruth Dunlap, inspired me to write to you about something that
>I've been aware of for many years, but never seen discussed elsewhere. It
>is not only desirable to indicate the state of reference, but the country
as
>well. There are a few issues involved in this reminder:
>
>Not Just a US Phenomenon
>As someone who has moved away from my country of origin -- the United
>States -- I can attest to the fact that genealogy is not just a US
>phenomenon. Many people all over the world are pursuing this hobby with
>vigor. As in so many other areas, however, the US -- by virtue of its
>demographic size, wealth, educated citizenry, and perhaps its status as an
>immigrant nation -- leads the way in genealogical research, especially
>electronic. The great majority of genealogical e-zines, websites, and
>electronic bulletin boards and lists originate in the US, but American
>contributors and users have to remember that they are not the only ones
>using them. Anyone whose native language is English -- and a great many
who
>consider it a second or third language -- also use these valuable
resources.
>There are 322,000,000 English first language speakers in the world, but a
>third of them are not American. English is the modern lingua franca, so
>imagine how many other hundreds of millions of people worldwide are able to
>access and contribute to online genealogical materials.
>
>Spell Out States' Names
>US citizens save time by writing postal abbreviations instead of the full
>names of states. This is appropriate in private correspondence with other
>Americans, but even then, it can be confusing. Is MO Missouri or Montana?
>Imagine the frustration of non-American users of electronic data. Spelling
>out states' names in full will endear a US writer to a great many potential
>overseas correspondents.
>
>Town Names are not Unique
>It is also important to remember that American town names are not unique.
>When the first immigrants settled what they considered virgin country, they
>naturally looked to their countries of origin as a source of names for
their
>new homes -- think Plymouth, think New England, think Toledo. They also
>looked to saints, mythology, geologic formations, the Bible, etc. But this
>is also how many Old Country locations got their names. The vast majority
>of town names can be found elsewhere in the world, so it's important to
>indicate the country as well as the town in any reference citation.
>
>Entering Countries in Databases
>Most genealogists have immigrant ancestors -- indeed, that's one of the
most
>fascinating things about the hobby -- and they are quite happy to add the
>"foreign" country name to their genealogical databases where necessary.
But
>I would argue that ALL country names should be entered, even the United
>States of America. My genealogical software is sprinkled liberally with
>entries such as "Milford, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey, USA" because I am a
>living example that people don't always stay put.
>
>In years to come, as my grandchildren emigrate to yet another country (or
>off this planet?!), will their great-grandchildren be able to figure out
>what Milford, NJ means? There are three towns of that name in New Jersey:
>Milford, New Milford and West Milford. West Milford is nowhere near the
>others, but it's 33.8 miles from New Milford, NY. There are also Milfords
>in CT, DE, MA, MI, NH, OH and UT in the USA. Imagine trying to decipher
>these abbreviations 200 years from now in a time of exponential change.
Was
>this town even in America, or was it one of the five in the United Kingdom,
>or Milford-on-Sea or Milford Haven there; Millford or either of the two
>Milfords in the Republic of Ireland; Mt. Milford or the other two Milfords
>in Australia; Milford, Jamaica; Milford Sound, New Zealand; or elsewhere?
>
>Researchers who are serious about sharing their work with others and
>preserving their heritage for future generations, and formal publications
>that exist for this purpose, would be well advised to take the time to
>indicate country of origin, even if it's the USA. Thanks.
>
>Sincerely,
>Mary Jo C. Martin
>Melbourne, Australia
>
>
>References:
>
>Ethnologue USA
>http://www.sil.org/ethnologue/countries/USA.html
>
>Worldwide Directory of Cities & Towns
>http://www.calle.com/world/index.html
>
>AAA Central-West Jersey
>http://www.aaacwj.com/
>
>

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