General Guidelines
Conventions used by Price & Associates, Inc.
Anglicized names Approximate dates Calendar changes
Foreign-language place-names Jurisdictions that have changed over time
Latin given names Multiple place-name spellings Occupations
Anglicized names
For U.S. immigrants, etc., record individuals in their native tongues by the names given to them at birth in the "Full Name" field and identify Anglicized names in the "Also Known As" or "Notes" fields, i.e.:
- "Full Name" field: Johann Nikolaus /Krafft/; "Also Known As" field: Johann Nicholas Craft [CORRECT]
- "Full Name" field: Johann Nikolaus or Nicholas /Krafft or Craft/ [INCORRECT]
Approximate dates
Use "abt" when no sources are available to document birth or marriage dates and it is necessary to estimate a year:
- Estimate marriage years one year prior to birth of eldest-known child, if that information is available
- Assume grooms were age 25 at marriage and brides age 21
Use "cal" when a source exists to calculate a date, i.e.:
- John Doe is described as age 25 in the 1850 census, record "cal 1825" in "Birth" field
- John Doe is described as age 50 in his 1902 death certificate, record "cal 1852" in "Birth" field
Calendar changes
When recording events in England that occurred between January 1 and March 25, prior to 1752, record the year in both Old Style and New Style formats, i.e.:
- 1 January 1600/1601
Foreign-language place-names
Use the standard English spelling for most foreign place-names, i.e.:
- Italy, not Italia
For places that became part of Germany in 1871, both English and German spellings are acceptable, but should be used consistently, i.e.:
- Bayern or Bavaria
Jurisdictions that have changed over time
Identify places as they existed at the time an event took place, i.e.:
- Born 1841 Carlsberg, Bayern
- Born 1881 Carlsberg, Bayern, Germany
- Died 1901 Belfast, Antrim, Ireland
- Died 1941 Belfast, Antrim, Northern Ireland
- Eastern European researchers receive special allowances because boundaries and jurisdictional languages have changed so many times, please use your own discretion in deciding how to present place-names
Latin given names
Given names may be recorded in the "Full Name" field either in Latin or in the vernacular; either version is acceptable. Translations may be recorded in either the "Also Known As" field or the "Notes" field, i.e.:
- "Full Name" field: Robertus /Johnson/; "Also Known As" field: Robert Johnson [CORRECT]
- "Full Name" field: Robert /Johnson/; "Notes" field: clerk recorded this individual's name as Robertus Johnson in infant christening [CORRECT]
- "Full Name" field: Robertus or Robert /Johnson/ [INCORRECT]
Multiple place-name spellings
When place-names have multiple spellings, use the standard spelling as found in the Family History Library Catalog. For jurisdictions that have changed over time, see above
Occupations
With the exception of Scandinavian countries, do not record occupations in the "Full Name" field. Place occupations in the "Notes" field:
- "Full Name" field: John /Taylor/ Shoemaker [INCORRECT]
- "Full Name" field: John /Taylor/; "Notes" field: Occupation: Shoemaker [CORRECT]