How to index a baby stillborn-on the age, is it indexed as 0 or left blank?
How to index a baby stillborn- on the age, is it indexed as 0 or left blank?
Answers
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We will need a shared batch code to answer this accurately.
You can either find it by looking at the end of your project name or by following these instructions.
- Just above the toolbar, click Help.
- On the drop-down menu, click Share Batch.
- The Share Batch window opens, giving you two options:
- Copy the batch link, and paste it in an email to the helper or post it on the Share Batch, Etc. page on Facebook. The helper can click the link and go directly to the batch.
- Share the batch code so the helper can enter it in the indexing tool and open the batch.
- A second way to find the batch code is by clicking Batch, then About Batch. The Batch ID is the same as the code.
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Depending what batch you are working on, in general if the child is less than 12 months old or still born you would enter 0. A batch code would help us to see what you are seeing.
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Also, you can look at the field helps to get the most precise instructions. The field helps are accessed by clicking on the purple question mark that appears when you click on a field. These provide detailed instructions about each field. Sometimes the project instructions under the section What To Remember About This Project will have information about how to index ages.
As an example, the field help for the Washington Death Registers tells me:
Type the age in years.
If fractions of years were recorded for the age, round down to the nearest full year. If less than 1 year was recorded or a child was stillborn, type the age as 0 (zero).
If the age was given in a years, months, days format, index only the number of years.
Do not type an age in this field if only the word "infant" was recorded as an indication of the age.
Do not calculate the age from other information on the document.
If the age was not recorded or was written as a variation of the word "unknown," press Ctrl+B to mark this field blank.
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I'm indexing death records for WA. After several names there is an (MSB) but no age. Does this mean stillborn and do I enter the initials?
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It is always best to provide the batch code when you have something odd that needs investigated. If there is no age, you mark the field blank using Ctrl + B. If you can determine that MSB means Male Stillborn by other clues, then you could index a zero. You cannot enter the letters in the age field.
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@SmithJanice1016 It's still best if you provide the batch code found at the right of the project name in brackets like this [XXXX-XXX] so we can correctly answer your question, then just hold the batch until you receive an answer in this forum. 😎
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MSYB-P3M
This is the batch code.
With the below information, I am assuming I index stillborns as 0.
Project instructions: Stillbirth entries should be indexed.
Age instructions: Type the age in years. If fractions of years were recorded, round down to the nearest full year.
Do not calculate the age from other information on the document.
If the age was not recorded or was written as a variation of the word "unknown," press Ctrl+B to mark this field blank.
Thank you
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Thanks for sharing a batch code, Cynthia. This is Washington, Death Registers 1881-1979 [PART C].
Looking at the image, as a researcher I would feel comfortable that MSB and FSB stand for stillborn children, since the others are F-0 or M-78. But, am not as confident about using zero for the age because of the field helps.
The field help for this PART C says we are not to calculate an age "from other information on the document". I would index the field as <blank> based on that instruction.
I referred to US, Washington—County Death Registers, 1881–1922 [Part A], which I copied and pasted above, the field help was clear: If fractions of years were recorded for the age, round down to the nearest full year. If less than 1 year was recorded or a child was stillborn, type the age as 0 (zero). Do not type an age in this field if only the word "infant" was recorded as an indication of the age. Do not calculate the age from other information on the document.
I defer to a Moderator to have this question answered for several reasons. But, most importantly, there doesn't seem to be a General Indexing Guidelines (GIG) for indexing Ages. So, we can't fall back on the general guideline if it no longer exists. Reinstating that into the project instruction section of the GIG, or being able to find a Help Center article on indexing Ages would be most helpful.
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