Family Tree Place Name Standardization Routine has gotten to inflexible

Gordon Collett

This is similar to a previous report with Hungarian places but I want to provide another example of a wrong turn the routine has taken.

I am working on the record for a Guri Gundersdatter born in 1861 in Nore municipality in Buskerud county in Norway. She was christened at Uvdal church.

I can enter her christening place with the general place Nore, Buskerud, Norway just fine. A proper standardized version is present in the Places database so I can just use this. It is Nore Buskerud, Norway - Place type: Municipality - Timespan: 1858 to 1962.

However, I wish to use the more specific place name of Uvdal Kirke, Nore, Buskerud, Norway. Months ago I would have been able to just enter Nore, Buskerud, Norway to fix the standard then edit the place name to add Uvdal Kirke in front.

However, when I now try to do this, the standard changes to Uvdal Kirke, Nore og Uvdal, Buskerud, Norway with place type cemetery.

There are two major problems here:

1. She was not christened in a cemetery.
2. Nore og Uvdal municipality did not exist until January 1962.

Because there are areas of the world where the Places database is far from complete, we need the ability to fix an appropriate standard then edit the display place name to be complete and accurate without changing the standard.

I know I can request an addition to the Places database for this church in the proper municipality but I could put in hundreds of such requests and need to wait weeks for the additions. I don't want to overburden the people working on the database when reverting to being able to fix the standard would be sufficient for now for the majority of these places.

Please forward this request to the proper team. Thank you.

Gordon Collett

Wish I'd gotten back here sooner when I could still have fixed the glaring typo in the title. It should read "too." Also, I would have used a different word for "fix." I meant, as I hope was still clear, "fix" as in "fasten (something) securely in a particular place or position.'fix the clamp on a rail'" not as in "mend or repair. 'you should fix that shelf'" I should have said "affix," "secure," connect," "anchor," or "establish."

Leah K. Carlson

I am finding the same problems with Mexican place names. For the last 2 months, I have been sending feedback messages whenever I find this problem. I have not received a response nor has the problem been corrected. It affects searches and sources.