Recording a Place Name in a Genealogy Program

Properly recording the place of a life event (birth, death, etc.) in genealogy programs, websites, or research papers is a critical part of proper record keeping for all family historians. There is no one standard way to record life’s vital events. Researchers have the freedom to use the approach they wish to use. This seems straightforward and uncomplicated because of the limited information required for an event, i.e. date, town, county, country. However, jurisdictions change in small and big ways causing doubt for which time period or jurisdiction the place event should be used.

Genealogical organizations have given their opinion as what the standard should be. Historically the Genealogical Society of Utah has made different recommendations for ways to record a place name. The original recommendation was to use the place name at the time of the event (Option 1). Recently, FamilySearch Places has become the repository for standardized place names which are used in the Family Tree.

The most common approaches are listed below:

Time of the Event - Option 1
Record the location as shown on the earliest record you have of the event. Example: A person may have been born in a town which is in Poland today, but the town may have been part of the Kingdom of Prussia when the event took place. Boundary lines change over time. Use the place at the time the event took place. Pros: Cons:
 * Allows researcher to know the jurisdiction the records would be located as it is when the event occurred.
 * Can be confusing for researcher to know where that location is today.
 * Some genealogy data management programs or websites do not have the standardized places that no longer exist today in their database.

Modern Day Location - Option 2
Record the current location for the event in question, regardless if it was in another country or jurisdiction. Example: In 1845, San Diego, San Diego County, California was known as San Diego, Alta California, Mexico. Pros: Cons:
 * Easy to tell where that location is today.
 * May assist in locating records if they have moved from the original location to current jurisdiction.
 * If the records are still with the original government authority, you are unsure of where the records are located.

Using "Then and Now - Option 3"
In the place name, use the "then and now" statement to clarify what the location was before, and what it is now known as today. Example: "Thomasin/Tam(a)sin/Tamsen Carpenter was born about 1659 to 1663 probably in Pawtuxet (Warwick), Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (that part now in Kent Co. RI). She died after 30 Jan 1710/11 (living that date in Madnan’s Neck, Hempstead [now Great Neck, North Hempstead]), Queens (that part now Nassau) Co., Long Island." - written by Eugene Cole "Gene" Zubrinsky Pros: Cons:
 * Clarifies and identifies the location at the time of the event, and what that place is now called in present day jurisdictions. One example where this is particularly useful: British Colonial America
 * When standardization of locations are used by the genealogy program, it does not allow for both places to be recorded and would only be allowed in research reports and notes.

Clarification of Example in Option 3

 * Pawtuxet was renamed to Cranston (formally the City of Cranston) in 1754. More information
 * Providence Plantations was the first permanent European American settlement in Rhode Island. It was established 1636 by a group of colonists led by Roger Williams who left Massachusetts Bay Colony in order to establish a colony with greater religious freedom. Providence Plantations became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1663, which became the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations after the American Revolution. Rhode Island and Providence Plantations became the state of Rhode Island as a part of the United States of America in 1776.
 * The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was an English colony from 1636 until 1707, and then a colony of Great Britain until the American Revolution in 1776, when it became the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (commonly known as Rhode Island).