All of our data is aggregated and users take what they want from it. They'll never see your carefully constructed Grid or all that extra work you put into your Family Tree. They will see data in specific variables, and that is all.
With that in mind, here are some things for you to consider:
- If you do a lot of extra work that you have not been trained or asked to do, then the data you're generating will potentially be different than the data everyone else is collecting. This might add bias.
- DO NOT EVER make up a code. We have standard codes for a reason. That is, data users can go to the code book and user guides and see that DT stands for Deutschland. If you've decided to call Dakota Territory DT, then you've entered incorrect data. It doesn't matter that you explain what you did in the remarks.
- Don't use public Family Trees to enter death information for grandchildren and in-laws. This is a waste of time, and we do not have the funding for this. It doesn't make sense for a couple of you to do this when nobody else is.
- On the Death screen, there should never be a hyperlink to any record that is not a death record - no marriage records, no WWI service records, etc. Save the hyperlinks for the two best sources of death information.
- Also on the Death screen, you do not have to type in remarks the death source you read in the Mil Info. As long as you've checked the Mil Info box, you've done what you're supposed to do. We already have that other information; please do take the time to type it. Of course, type the cause of death if you find it on the Mil Info.
- When you're using Other as a death source, type or copy and paste the full title of the record.
If you're not sure about something, please ask. It's more important to ask a question than risk entering bad data. Please read this post twice.
If your death information source is a census saying someone is widowed (thus we can assume their spouse is dead), do you still want us to include that as a link on the death screen, especially when it's our only source?
ReplyDeleteYes, that is acceptable.
ReplyDeleteI thought we couldn't use the census "widow" designation if it is the only source, because so many women who were abandoned listed themselves as widows.So can we use that as a source?
ReplyDeleteJanice, could you elaborate a little on your question? Thanks
DeleteSure. I might have misunderstood earlier guidelines, but I thought that we weren't allowed to use the declaration of widowhood, or
ReplyDelete"widowerhood" in the case of a male, found on the census, to assume that someone is actually deceased. Many women who were abandoned listed themselves as widows and often women who were actually divorced listed themselves as widows. In addition, I have seen cases of men who have left their families listing themselves as widowed. Because of that practice, I thought that we couldn't use the census, if it was the only source, to make that determination.
We've decided that you can use that census information to enter a death range (quality code 3), even though we recognize that sometimes they are deserted. If you have evidence suggesting the person is not dead, then there is no need to enter the death range.
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