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      Appendix B: Recording information for the Family History System

      This section is not intended to be a `How to' for doing genealogical
      research.  For that information I would suggest that you go to a
      local library or bookstore to get one of the many excellent books
      you can find there on that subject.  What I do want to tell you
      here, is how to use the Individual/Family Group worksheets to record
      information for the systematic entry of this information into the
      Family History System files.

      Before continuing with the discussion here, however, you should get
      several blank copies of the Individual/Family Group worksheets.  You
      may get copies by using MAIN MENU option F2-C to select the System
      Function for producing Family Group worksheets, and then selecting
      function F5 of that program's option menu (also request that space
      for individual identifiers be included on the worksheets by
      responding 'Y' to the program's query about this item).

      Now, you should have before you several blank Individual/Family Group
      worksheets.  The first thing to note on these worksheets is that every
      individual mentioned, whether a parent, spouse or child, has an assoc-
      iated ID number.  This number is assigned sequentially to individuals
      when they are first identified to the system. The numbers assigned two
      individuals does not have anything to do with the family relationship
      that may exist between these individuals, however these numbers are
      used whenever family relationships are being defined between indivi-
      duals.  It isn't necessary for you to remember the ID number of every
      individual (they are easily determined by searching the files by
      'name' or other key information), however you will probably be able to
      recall the ID numbers of many of your close relatives or significant
      ancestors.

      To begin filling in one of your blank worksheets, select one of your
      ancestors that you would like to start with.  Eventually you will
      have a file of family group worksheets produced by the system (1 for
      each of your direct ancestors, at least, and probably others for
      uncles, cousins, etc. as you systematically expand the information
      in your files).  But first you should record the information on a
      blank (or partially blank) worksheet.  If you do not have a very
      distant ancestor whose line of ancestry you particularly wish to
      record, I would suggest choosing one of your grandparents.  Fill in
      his/her name in the first block of individual information provided
      on the worksheet.  Put the last name first (this is the 'SURNAME'),
      then a comma, followed by the 'GIVEN' name(s).  If it is a grandmother
      that you have selected, use her maiden name for the surname, not the
      name of your grandfather.  Fill in as much as you can of the remaining
      personal information about the individual including birth and death
      dates and places.

      Concerning the recording of dates on these worksheets, the almost
      universally recommended format (the one used when these reports are
      printed from information in the system) is: DD MON YYYY, where MON
      is a 3 character abbreviation for the month.  However, when entering
      dates in the file maintenance program, the required format is MM-DD-
      YYYY (or DD.MM.YYYY or YYYY MM DD), so I would recommend that you use


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      here the format in which you intend to enter the dates.  If the month
      or day is not known, enter 00, and if the person has died, but the
      year of death is unknown, use 9999...(This is recognised by the system
      as a "don't know" year and will eliminate the calculation of ages or
      anniversarys).  Do not use 9999 for an unknown Birth year, instead use
      0000.  (Also see "Appendix C" for a discussion of additional ways of
      indicating uncertain dates.)

      When recording Birth and Death places, do not put 'addresses' but
      rather the CITY, COUNTY and STATE or country.  You will only have 22
      characters for entering the information so you may have to abbreviate.

      Enter '1' for the ID number of the individual for whom you are filling
      out this worksheet.  This is the first person you will be entering
      into the system files.

      For the meantime, ignore the information about the individual's
      parents; we have agreed that this individual is the most distant
      ancestor we are interested in now.

      Proceeding to the spouse information, enter the appropriate data
      according to the 'rules' we have mentioned above, again using the
      maiden name if the individual is a female.  An additional piece of
      information for the spouse is the date of marriage.  If the marriage
      has been terminated, either thru divorce or by death of one of the
      persons, this date should also be recorded if known.  The ID number
      of this person should be '2'.  You will note that additional spouses
      may be identified.  The marriage records are maintained within the
      system in a most recent to least recent order.

      Next you should enter information concerning the children of the
      individual with ID #1.  (See Appendix C. for the handling of adoptive
      relationships within the system.)  These should be recorded in
      increasing order of birth with ID numbers assigned sequentially
      following that of the last recorded spouse.  The last name of a child
      should be the same as that of the father.  If more than one spouse is
      recorded for individual #1, then the ID # of the appropriate spouse
      should be recorded in the space for 'Parent ID#' under the child's
      name.  You needn't bother recording spouse information for each child.
      This would more appropriately be entered on a Family Group worksheet
      for that child.

      Incidentally, the children will be recorded in the file in increasing
      order of birth under each parent, no matter what order you enter
      them into the file.  This has the unfortunate consequence that
      individuals whose birth year is not known may end up listed in the
      wrong order of birth in reports.  The order will be corrected however,
      as the birth information is learned and recorded correctly.

      The remarks section is not intended for writing a person's life
      history, but rather for making notes; for example concerning sources
      of birth, death information or for burial information.  You will find
      that there are many places in the Family History files for recording
      remarks such as these.  I trust that you will develop a feeling for
      the types of information you will want to record in each place.  (The


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      comments that are placed under a spouse record should have relevance
      for both partners of the marriage.  These remarks will appear under
      the marriage information for either spouse.)

      Now set the 'completed' worksheet aside and take another blank work-
      sheet and set about filling it out, in the same way, for your ancestor
      that was included among the children on the previous worksheet.  (If
      you started with a grandparent, then one of your parents was listed
      among the children).  The only information you need enter for the
      individual is the name and ID#.  You can also write down the ID#'s of
      the parents in the appropriate places, as a reminder that this infor-
      mation is already available.  Then continue filling in spouse and
      child information just as before, assigning ID#s sequentially,
      following the ID# of the last child of the previous worksheet.

      When the second worksheet has been completed, set it aside and fill
      out another for your ancestor listed among the children on this
      worksheet...continuing in this way until you have filled out a
      worksheet for yourself.

      Now, with the several worksheets you have completed in hand (in the
      order that you have created them), you should be ready to start
      putting information in your Family files. (see section II.B.4)


































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