What to do if there are only fields for 1 spouse, but 2 spouses are listed?
I'm working on the South Africa, Western Cape—Deceased Estate Files. There is only one field each for listing a spouse's given name and surname. The record I'm working on lists the names for 2 previously deceased spouses. I can't see any way to add fields to the entry. Should I just index the first spouse only?
Answers
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If you share the batch code that may help with the response. How to share the batch code - Help (menu)> Share Batch will allow you to share that code/link.
But I can give my opinion from your description. I would make another entry duplicating the surviving spouse (that seems to be the case) and reference the second deceased spouse in that new entry. I believe in this case to perform Indexing duty as well as possible - this may be the only option?
If you have already continued to the next Entry - you can always go back to the first Entry and Add an Entry 'after current Entry' (through Add Entries toolbar button - left of Trashcan button) for the second deceased spouse.
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Without the shared batch code we cannot be certain but this help article gives the general guideline.
When the document lists multiple spouses or parents, index only the current spouse or parents. Here are some quick guidelines for these situations:
- For multiple spouses, index only the present or current spouse.
- For multiple parents, such as a set of birth parents and a set of adoptive parents, index only the current set of adoptive parents.
- Do not add records to include the other individuals. The information is not lost. After we publish the records, researchers can view the image and gather any additional information in it.
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I ended up getting help from FamilySearch support and after about an hour+ of discussion on their part, it was decided that I should do what genenthusiast suggested.
Thank you both for your replies!
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