Entering Unknown or Incomplete Names in Genealogy
Unknown or Incomplete Names
In many early records the names of women and children are not provided, and substitute names used in Family Tree must be inferred from a careful reading of the document. For example, a probate may refer to a man's wife as "John Smith's widow", or another record may state a couple had "two sons and three daughters."[1]
In cases like these records can be created in Family Tree following the instructions based on the conditions below. Create the individual's record with correct gender. The titles "Miss" and "Mister" (and their language equivalents) should only be used when a given name is known. A title and surname only are not valid. Substitute names such as "stillborn" or "unknown" (and their language equivalents) should not be used.
Condition 1. Husband's name is known, but wife's name is incomplete
| Case | Solution |
|---|---|
| Maiden name unknown | 1. Enter only wife's given name 2. Enter Mrs. as title and the husband's names as hers |
| Given name unknown | Enter only the wife's surname |
Condition 2. The names of one or both of the parents are known, but the child's complete name is unknown
| Case | Solution |
|---|---|
| Given name unknown | Enter only the surname |
Condition 3. The names of one or both of the parents names are known, but the child's name and gender are unknown, or not given in the record
| Case | Solution |
|---|---|
| Given name and gender unknown | Enter only the surname, and set the sex as unknown |
FamilySearch Help Center Articles
These article may provide additional information.
- How do I enter a person with an unknown name into Family Tree?
- How do I format names to avoid the "Needs more information" error when reserving ordinances?
Bibliography
Sharon DeBarolo Carmack. A Genealogists’s Guide to Discovering Your Female Ancestors: Special Strategies for uncovering hard-to-find information about your female ancestors. Cincinnati: Ohio: Betterway Books, 1998. FS Catalog book 7973 D27car
Margaret Ward. The Female Line: researching your female ancestors. Newbury, England: Countryside Books, 2003. FS Library 974 D27wm
Emm Adele. Tracing Your Female Ancestors: a guide for family historians. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England: Pen & Sword family History, 2019. FS Library 962 D27 ead
Kay Germain Ingalls. "Looking for Female Ancestors", National Genealogical Society Quarterly, 88 (September 2000):165-178.
References
- ↑ Val D. Greenwood. The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy. 4th ed., p. 575.