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Archiver > TMG > 2004-09 > 1094049084


From: "Robert Thorpe" <>
Subject: Date calculator - a big dissappointment
Date: Wed, 1 Sep 2004 09:31:26 -0500
In-Reply-To: <c4.11b9229b.2e39940d@aol.com>


I just had a chance to use the date calculator for the first time and I
have to say I was way underimpressed. Unless someone can suggest a
workaround the only thing I can think of that it is worth using for is
determining one's birthdate from a marker that gives date-of-death and
age. I have NEVER seen a tombstone that gives date of birth and age at
death, so it's worthless for that. It's also worthless for determining
one's age given birth and death dates, or any span of time between two
dates. Say the number of days between two Civil War battles as an
example.

Another problem, although a small one, is that the order of the lengths
of time is backwards. The calculator shows in days, months and years.
Every marker I have ever seen is in years, months and days. This reverse
order could easily lead to transcription errors.

I used to have Family Origins which had a great calculator. You had
three basic fields; beginning date, length of time, and ending date.
Fill in any two of the fields and it generated the third. That was very
handy for my purposes. I hope the calculator can be improved.

Robert Thorpe

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