have a note that states always use "maiden name" for women even if if they are widows

LegacyUser

Elizabeth Ann Lansing said: There doesn't appear to be any warning or reminder or explanation anywhere, although if so, I cannot find it, for patrons to know if this program requires us to give a widow's name as maiden name or as her married name leaving her maiden name in the middle such as in the case of Elizabeth Greenleaf Badger who married Richard Brown after Giles Badger died. So I don't know whether to select Elizabeth Greenleaf as birth name like I do with all other female names or once she has been marr. to I show her name as the legal married name she had when she m. Richard Brown and now her legal name at that time of marr.was Elizabeth Greenleaf Badger? (I guess as always we use the woman's maiden name, correct? Please email me and let me know and perhaps you could have a reminder written about the correct way to enter her name under the marriage field box, so that may clear up some confusion for the patrons and less choices will fill up the "other parents" box below. p.s. on my other idea re: having a way to 'choose' which marriage date is correct, perhaps have it be a clickable link once you click on it in some way and then make it appear outside and above the scrollbar window under the husband's name showing that that is the correct choice as we are able to choose other dates that then remain as the only choice once we have selected it; patrons should still be able to change the date however, if they feel the other patron selected the wrong one. Thanks, hope this helps. Sister Lansing

LegacyUser

Ron Tanner said: This is a good point. I was just talking with a user last night about inconsistency with doing this. We do need some instructions to help the users understand to put in maiden name if known.

THanks,
Ron Tanner

LegacyUser

Elizabeth Ann Lansing said: Thank you for clarifying this and taking care of it Ron; greatly appreciate all being done. Sister Lansing

LegacyUser

Elizabeth Ann Lansing said: Ron, consider having a key on pedigree chart page that explains what the asterix is for as I never really noticed it before and once clicking on it I was able to find ways to select the right couple which I didn't even know was an option until today and I have been using this program for years now...I don't know how I missed it. Also I never noticed the "view details of relationship" on the bottom of the screen. Is there a more detailed overview that discusses all these finer points? If not, I know it might take years to cover them all but perhaps if there was a chart showing each screen and you can self teach about what each items is as you move your cursor over it (a bubble could appear that says: use this for doing such and such as I'm not quite sure how helpful that view details of a relationship really is and the icons aren't represented anywhere in a key to make you immediately understand what you are looking at...a bit later I was thinking...okay that little icon is the child?
Maybe it is just me but I find concrete structured information the best way to keep confusion from occurring. Thanks again for all you do Ron. Sister Lansing

LegacyUser

L. Nelson said: Also need an explanation included of when it's appropriate to use "Mrs. [Husband's-Last-Name]". I think this is used sometimes if wife's first name isn't known and maiden last name isn't either, but there is other data available on this person, including who she was married to.

LegacyUser

Elizabeth Ann Lansing said: exactly right and I notice it is used often for benefit of sealings when all other research has failed.
great idea..
sincerely,
Sister Lansing

mgladson

What is the rule for entering a wife's name when the first and the maiden name are both unknown 

Julia Szent-Györgyi

I don't know if there's "a rule", but if I don't know any part of a person's own name, I generally don't enter a profile for that person. If it's unavoidable -- because I need to enter a sibling relationship, for example -- then I use a question mark.

Brett .

@mgladson

Welcome to the "Community.FamilySearch" Forum.

I am just another 'lowly' User/Patron ...

[ And, I happen to be a Member of the Church ... ]

Short Answer:

In the "Vitals" Section, under "Name", just record the "First Name(s)" ONLY, leave the 'Family Name'/'Surname' as "Blank" (ie. NOTHING ), when the "Birth" 'Family Name'/'Surname' is NOT known.

Any versions, of the "Married" Name(s), SHOULD be recorded ONLY; as, "Alternate Names", in the "Other Information" Section.

Here is a "Knowledge Article" in 'FamilySearch':

How should I enter names in Family Tree?

https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-to-enter-names-in-family-tree

https://www.familysearch.org/help/helpcenter/article/how-to-enter-names-in-family-tree

Where it states, among other things:

Quote

==========

• Maiden and married names—If a woman changed her surname after marriage, use her maiden name. 
• Legal name changes—If a person changed his or her name legally (other than surname changes after marriage), enter the newer legal name.

------------------

• Last Names—Enter the person’s family name or surname. If a woman changed her surname after marriage, enter her maiden name. If the person has no last name, such as for Native Americans, [ or, that Last Name id NOT known ] leave the Last Name field blank.

==========

I hope this helps.

Brett

dontiknowyou

@mgladson what I do is enter Mrs _______ MarriedSurname. Often, that is enough to get a slew of hints. If not, I enter any other clues I can find on relatives' pages. Eg, if she had a child in 1870 in Rome, New York, I give her a Residence in 1870 in Rome, New York and also Birth about 1840. If the children have any census records, check there for her birth place.

Usually within minutes I can replace the Mrs placeholder with her full maiden name. Sometimes I get only her given name. I enter that with no surname as her primary name and put her married name in an Alternate Name field.