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Archiver > TMG > 2000-03 > 0952328466


From: Ken Clarke <>
Subject: Re: TMG-L: New/Old Style v Gregorian/Julian
Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 02:41:06 -0500


Laura,

>> I have a very good handle on the
dating problem and have in fact discovered errors in reputable
works, such as biographies of Queen Elizabeth I <<

At the risk of offending someone, dare I say that for most of us, "Does it
matter?"<G>.

If we are serious, we do like to get things as precise as it is possible to
be. However, for much of our family history the records themselves are
rather suspect (Parish registers written up days or weeks after the event
either from memory or from scraps of paper which may or may not have got
mislaid ... etc etc; and we can all quote examples of where the oldest
record we can find of an event is obviously wrong). Unless we are trying
to see whether one event preceded another by a few months or within a year
or so, even the exact year is not too important.

Unless you think this is rank heresy, let me add that I believe we should
all try to make sure that we record EXACTLY what we see in any record we
examine. This leaves others free to come to a different conclusion from us
about the meaning of the date.

Meantime, thanks for your detailed contribution, it has helped me to
understand the issue.

Ken Clarke
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