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Hello and Two Questions

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  • Hello and Two Questions

    Hello Everyone,

    I am new to the forum, but not new to family research. I started over 20 years ago with notes and notepads and boxes full of random information. My tree has grown and evolved in that time and I now have it on-line with Ancestry.

    My first question is this - Is there a preferred way of spelling a surname (or family name)? That is to say "John Smith", or "John SMITH"? Now I know that some will do it one way and some will do it the other and there are those like me who have both mixed. It is not a question of how many do it one way or the other, it is a question of WHY is the one way preferable over the other way. Are there advantages?

    My next question is about dates. I don't use all number dates as it leads to the black hole of US confusion - is 1/12/1940 the 1st of December or is it the 12th of January? So I gave up numerals almost at the start. The question is this - which is preferable Nov or November? Does it make a difference to any programmes? If members have a preference, what is it and why?

    Note to Mods and Admins - If this is in the wrong place, please move it to where it should be.

    Regards

    Kiltpin
    Whannell, Eaton and Jackson, in Scotland, India and England

    Dugdale, Ramm, Garrod, Taylor and Smith in Norfolk and Hull

  • #2
    i only use capitals for the surname if it's french. makes it easier to tell.....ie jean jacques piriou de lezongard vs jean jacques PIRIOU DE LEZONGARD.
    i do the date: 12 jan 1841. easiest way i remember a date while typing it from seeing it.

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    • #3
      Hello and welcome to the forum, kiltpin.

      Like Kyle, I only put the surname in capitals if there is likely to be confusion otherwise.

      I also do the dates the same way, as I would speak them - 12 Jan 1841.

      OC

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Kiltpin View Post

        My first question is this - Is there a preferred way of spelling a surname (or family name)? That is to say "John Smith", or "John SMITH"? Now I know that some will do it one way and some will do it the other and there are those like me who have both mixed. It is not a question of how many do it one way or the other, it is a question of WHY is the one way preferable over the other way. Are there advantages?

        Kiltpin
        Hi Kiltpin,

        with regard to this question, do you mean when adding it into a tree program or do you mean when you are asking for a lookup request?

        if asking about a request, then some people do capitalise the surname as it makes it easier to pick it out in the request. If you mean when adding it to a tree either on line or private then it is entirely up to you [whatever floats your boat! :smilee:]

        re the dates, I always add it: 12 Nov 1846 [as I wouldn't want someone else to misunderstand] if I did it 12 Nov 46 then it could mean 1946 and if I do find a date that has been Americanised then I will add it to my tree in the UK format.

        hopefully that helps and welcome to our forum :smilee:
        Julie
        They're coming to take me away haha hee hee..........

        .......I find dead people

        Comment


        • #5
          The convention when writing names in genealogy reports is to always put the surname in capitals - it makes it clear which name the surname actually is, which may not always be obvious with multiple names.

          For dates I always put the month in words (usually abbreviated) - and the full year ...e.g. 9 Sep 2015. It avoids confusion, especially with contacts from the USA.
          Retired professional researcher, and ex- deputy registrar, now based in Worcestershire. Happy to give any help or advice I can ( especially on matters of civil registration) - contact via PM or my website www.chalfontresearch.co.uk
          Follow me on Twittter @ChalfontR

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          • #6
            I'm with the others regarding dates but I only use capital letters for persons who are my direct line descendants. That way I can easily pick out my direct descendant from a family of 10 children.
            Kat

            My avatar is my mother 1921 - 2012

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