Including nick names in the person record.
I suggest that nick names not be allowed in the recorded name of the ancestor as it creates uncertainty in who that ancestor is, it’s irrelevant information, and, I believe, especially inappropriate when taking that name to the temple. If a researcher wants to make such information known, it can be done in the “Memories” section.
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If you are researching someone, you're better off knowing in advance if he or she was known to their friends and colleagues by a different name because it's possible they will show up in a source with that name. They most certainly will show up in photos, letters and other personal papers by their nick names and not having that alternative name will be what leads to uncertainty. I disagree that nick names are irrelevant, and also disagree they should be put in memories. Nick names should be listed in the "Other Information" section under alternative name. Memories is not the right place for this. (How would you even "put" a nick name in memories? Upload a story? No.
My paternal grandfather and his 2 brothers went exclusively by nicknames to the point where I didn't know the legal names of his brothers until I started doing genealogy. The same with one of my father's cousins.
I do not put nick names in names with quotes as been the way in the past, but I won't correct it when someone else has that.
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Hello Robert,
FamilySearch has provided a way to add nicknames to the records of your ancestors.
"You can add multiple versions of a person's name in Family Tree. Generally, our recommendation is that you enter the person's birth name or complete legal name in the Vitals section. Then add variations in the Other Information field.
In the Other Information field, you can add alternate names and identify the type of name. The options are "Also Known As," Birth Name, Married Name, and Nickname."
More information may be found by clicking on this link:
We hope this helps you to correctly record any nicknames and that you may find joy in this work.
Regards
FamilySearch Support
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I wasn’t aware of the Other Information field until I brought it up in my team meeting this morning. That’s good. I still maintain that putting Jay Perry “Pops” Kimball in the name field is inappropriate and should be listed somewhere else, even in Memories if nothing else. It doesn’t need to be a story, just a mention would suffice for most.
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Robert Lindsey Helmig I used to use the quote, but I went back and put all the nicknames in the Other Information section. However, when I see the quotes used by someone else, it's almost like a communication in code that this person knows my ancestors as well as I do. Also, it pains me to see my grandmother labeled with her given name, a name that she hated and forbid anyone to use. Now she is stuck with it for eternity.
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@Gail Swihart Watson, what keeps you from having your grandma's Vitals name be the one she actually used, with the one she hated relegated to Other? There's a "birth name" option there, after all.
No, that's not strictly what the vague guidelines say, but they're vague guidelines, not stringent rules set in stone: "Generally, our recommendation is...." I think it's always good to keep the purpose in mind, and I think the primary purpose of the Vitals name is identification: it should hold whichever name will be most widely recognized, or if that's debatable or unknowable, then the birth or full legal name.
In fact, I see now that the "How to enter names" Help article (https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/how-to-enter-names-in-family-tree) actually says to do this: "Most commonly used name—If the person did not use his or her legal name in life, enter the commonly used name in the Vitals section. Enter the legal name in the Other Information section."
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In my 68 years of knowing these relatives I’ve never heard anyone refer to “Pops” Kimball. I’m a 2nd generation descendant of the Lappin family and knew some of the 12 Lappin children and their spouses and children (Kimball, Ealey, Corbin) either personally or through word of mouth. JPKs sister-in-law and husband were in our home from my birth until they died. I don’t think names like Pops is what FS had in mind when they said to use the most common used name. If that was the case my step-father would have had a number of names listed as he was commonly called. But even so, Pops still wouldn’t be there.
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I just edited my grandma. I included her given name in the Alternate Name section. Thank you!!!
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I have an ancestor who was called Pops but I think that was only by his son, so that really isn't a proper nick name. In fact, I never knew about it until I inherited all the son's belongings. Every photo of his dad was labeled Pop or Pops. No, I don't have that as an alternate name for him.
If only one person calls you something, I don't think that qualifies as a true nick name.
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