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Archiver > TMG > 2000-01 > 0946740295


From: Lee Hoffman/KY <>
Subject: Re: TMG-L: Source Entry - married or maiden surname?
Date: Sat, 01 Jan 2000 10:24:55 -0500


Jeff Miller wrote:
>I have a new source - a desecendant of a collateral line.
>Her current married name is Merry Moe. That is the name that jumps to mind
>when I receive an email or letter from her.
>Her name at birth was Merry Miller. But I don't know her as Merry Miller so
>when I want to enter a new piece of information she sends me, I can't find
>her in the MSL without some extra thought.
>
>She was previously married to Fred Thurwachter. If she divorces Mr. Moe and
>remarries, .....
>
>In the long run, is it "better" to enter her in the master source list as:
>Moe, Merry
>Moe, Merry (Miller)
>Moe, Merry (nee Miller)
>Miller, Merry (Moe)
>etc.?
>
>I have multiple female sources where I run into this question.
>The allocated space for source names is limited to about 30 characters, so I
>frequently run out of room before I can enter both the married and the
>maiden name, e.g. Thurwachter, Elizabeth R. (Luchenbill)
>
>How have others handled this?


When I add the data for such a person, I add them under their birth name.
I then add (with appropriate dates if known, but Sort Dates if not) the
various other names they are known by in added Name-xxx tags. The marriage
name is automatically added (if I agree) when I add a Marriage Tag.

For example, I have a nephew who was given one name at birth and later
changed to a different middle name. I enter his changed name as the
Subject (Primary Name) and add a Name-Chg tag showing his old Given Name
(with an explanation in the Memo field).

I also have a person given one name at birth (according to a family Bible),
but was never known by the first name. I entered his full name as the
Primary name, and added a Name-Var Tag showing just his middle name.

In your case, I would enter the birth name as the Primary name. I also add
such Name-Var and Name-Marr Tags as needed to show the other names the
person is known by.

I vary this if the person is still living and has indicated some objection
to being shown under the birth name (i.e., like my nephew). But in those
cases, I always add Memo explanations of the actual situation.

There are two considerations here. One is that the person may be easily
found in the Picklist, and the other that the person be reflected
accurately in any narrative reports that you produce. This last is subject
to the person or immediate family's desires and even then showing the data
with explanations when possible. In a couple of cases, I have suppressed
some data on print-outs in order to reduce the hard feelings of the
recipients. In those cases, I have tried to indicate somewhere in the
report that some data is suppressed for privacy reasons which would allow a
reader many years from now to see the true data in a later report and not
wonder at the apparent contradiction.

Hope this helps -


----------
Lee Hoffman/KY
E-mail:
My website: <http://www.users.mis.net/~lhoffman>;
--------------
A user of the best genealogy program, The Master Genealogist (TMG)

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