Place names and chronology?

Andrew Kent Gibbons

I've noticed while doing the family history "find place names" tool on the family tree app that the place names will have dates attached to them and that they are rarely true for that time period. There are generally only present day options, which is insufficient for many records. For example, let's say I am choosing a place name for a birth record in 1820. Do I put the present day place name with an 1875 - present day chronology under it, even though, for other people using family search, searching for records in that area would be impossible without the original 1820 place name? Picking the place name with the 1875 through present day choice begs the question: Was this place name different for that place before 1875? This is especially true for European countries where the borders have changed often due to war. So do we put the 1875 - present option or skip it? And where are all the options before 1875? I almost never see them. I have had this question often while doing place names and I'm sure others have this question too. A great example of where this problem becomes quite relevant would be the area of present day Romania/The Ottoman Empire/Turkey in the 1800s.

Gordon Collett

Getting all places on earth with all the names they ever had with the appropriate time periods is tremendous endeavor. It is going to take decades to complete the Places database.

You do have several options when the name that should be used is not in the database:

1) Post here a request to have the names you need with the proper time periods added.

2) Go to the Places databases https://www.familysearch.org/research/places/?pagenum=1&pagesize=20 and request names to be added.

3) Enter the place name correctly for the time period and standardize it with the available place name. For example, for much of its history, Arna, Hordaland, Norway was spelled Ådna. Even though the name in the database is Arna, I can enter it like this:

I do this by first entering Arna, Hordaland, Norway to set the standard, then in the text entry box replace Arna with Ådna and do not click in the drop down menu. Instead I click anywhere else on the page. This preserve the standardized version which is really just a text representation of the correct latitude and longitude.

4) Enter the place name correctly for the time period and standardize it one geographical level up. For example, Sakstad, Lindås, Hordaland, Norway is not yet in the database but I can enter it as:

These are all on the web browser version.

When you mention the Find A Place tool in the app are referring to the Improve Place Names tool? Or something else? When improving place names, you are just adding a latitude and longitude for places that are missing them. You are not actually changing what the person originally entered. It would be best when available to add the correct time period with its associated name, but if all you can add is a different name for a different time period, it is still telling the program what spot on the globe is meant which will let the find and hint routines work which is the entire purpose of the tool.

Andrew Kent Gibbons

That makes sense. After the present day latitudes and longitude are configured, the time scales can more easily follow. Yes, I know it will take a long time, but it is still necessary. Your response did answer my question though. Thank you!