Guessing a Date: Difference between revisions

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=== Use the following guidelines: ===  
=== Use the following guidelines: ===  


*Use the dates you already know as a guide. This can help guide your search for additional records.  
*Use the dates you already know to help narrow your search for additional records.
*If possible, find each family member in all the available censuses, registrations, and other records during their lifetimes. This may help narrow the number of years when certain events may have happened.
*When possible, find each family member in all available records such as birth, marriage and death records, censuses, court, military and other events recorded during their lifetime. This may help narrow the number of years when certain events may have happened.
*When you are trying to find the next generation back (i.e. your grandfather's father or further), It may be good to allow a 20 to 40 year window prior to the last known ancestors birth. This can be narrowed down if you know the birth dates of several children in the family.
*When you are trying to find the next generation back (i.e. your grandfather's father), and the birth dates of most of the children are not known,  allow a 20 to 40-year window prior to the youngest child’s birth.  
*Calculate approximate birth years from their age on the census or other documents. See [http://bcgcertification.org/skillbuilding-date-calculations/ Skillbuilding: Date Calculations].
*Calculate approximate birth years from their age on the census or other documents. See [http://bcgcertification.org/skillbuilding-date-calculations/ Skillbuilding: Date Calculations].
*It has been noted that in America and northern Europe men usually married at about age 25, women at about age 21. However, this is only an average with widespread variation, and is different for different places.
*It has been noted that in America and northern Europe men usually married around at about the age of 25, and women at about around the age of 21. However, this is only an average with widespread variation, and is different for different from place to place.
*On average, the first child is born one year after the parent’s marriage. Subsequent children are usually born about every two years.
*On average, the first child was is born one year within one year of the parent’s marriage. Subsequent children are were usually born about every two years.  
*If you know when each child in the family was born, estimate the marriage date as about 1 year before the birth of the first child. This is usually fairly accurate, but not unless a thorough search for all children has been conducted
*If you know when each child in the family was born, estimate the marriage date as about to approximately 1 year before the birth of the first child. This is usually a fairly accurate guess, however, be sure you made a thorough search for all children born to that family.
*Generally, brothers and sisters who die of old age are most likely to die at '''''roughly''''' the same age. This may be helpful when looking for death records, however, it is better not to record such an average date as fact, especially on community trees such as FamilySearch Family Tree.
*Generally, brothers and sisters who die of old age are most likely to die at '''''roughly''''' the same age. This may be helpful when looking for death records, however, it is better not to record such an average date as fact, especially on community trees such as FamilySearch Family Tree.


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