Change vital information when adding a record to an existing file
A good example of this is when you are comparing the information from a christening record. The christening record will have a complete name or a complete birthdate. You can compare and add the new information but you can't change the existing information such as complete birth date or name. Now I have to remember that information and manually add it after I close the record. The same thing happens when you are comparing a new census. If the new record has a full name you have to manually change the record.
Comments
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This has been widely discussed in the past. The current restriction in not being able to make changes during the source linking process is quite sensible. Sources contain different detail on just about every aspect of an individual's profile. For example, a census source from one year might show a different name, age and birthplace from one taken ten years previously (or later). A christening source might have a different name to the one that was recorded in the civil registration of the birth. In fact, some of my relatives could be easily thought to be completely different individuals, on comparing various records relating to them!
That is why it is best to carry as little as possible across when adding a source - i.e., even including data you can currently carry across (like marriage detail). It is best to make all evaluations / comparisons of conflicting detail whilst on the Person pages. From there, you can take time to confirm the best version of a name to record - e.g. "Sarah" or "Sally" Smith: one might appear in a church record, the other in a civil one. Also, to decide on the most likely christening / birth dates: different sources might show a few days difference (perhaps an incorrect transcription involved with one). Most important (I have found) is to take care in moving a marriage date across - which you currently can do in the source linking process. It often turns out that some sources do not relate to the marriage event itself, but relate to banns records. In this case, the earlier dated banns event will automatically replace the correct marriage ceremony date that had appeared on the Person / Details page.
So, I would stress the importance of taking time in replacing data - even if you find a source contains more comprehensive details. That "exact" date might just happen to be incorrect, so it could turn out be best to leave (say) just the year as the birthdate, unless you are completely certain the full date is completely reliable.
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@Gary W Gibb Beside the possible exception of duplicate/incorrectly indexed records or secondary source information - which possibly could change Vital record details - one problem with the idea you suggest is that it would make it even easier for people to randomly change existing factual Vital record information.
The current Source Linker - Review & Attach process does make the Vital information visible in the Tree (right-hand column) if you click Details - that way you can compare the Record information with the current profile information.
This is something that I wish were more secure on FamilySearch - once correct Vital information is entered - theoretically there should be no reason for it to change. This is especially the case for near-relation profiles in the Tree - whom you may know have correct vital information entered. Allowing Source Linker to import Vital information would be fine with me for further removed generations of which I have no knowledge or for which there is no current Vital information displayed - but yes as Paul W mentions - even then a cautious examination of the record and Tree profile(s) is needed to create an accurate profile and not morph/conflate two (or more) people into one Tree profile.
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