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Frequently Asked Questions |
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Building a database is possible only if the input data are constructed on the same principles. This is why we must check the gedcom files created by the various users. Checking is carried out with the help of a special software. If you encounter problems, before contacting us, please refer to the list below and check out if you find answers to your particular question in any of the text blocks. |
| ABOUT SENDING DATA |
- - What form shall I send the data in?
- The data entered into the family tree program should be sent in GEDCOM format. This format is generally recognised by the family tree building programmes and can be created by using the file export menu.
- - What to do with data related to living persons?
- Our data validation programme will delete the data of persons alive. If no birth or death dates are shown, the programme will consider the person as one still alive and delete the data. Therefore, even if the exact birth or death date is not known, it is advisable to indicate them somehow using the abbreviations “ABT” or “appr” (omit the period). Some programmes will ignore living persons during the GEDCOM file export process, if the appropriate checkbox is ticked.
- -What happens to data within legal limits?
- According to the current Hungarian law no data can be published on death events occurring within the past 30 years, on marriage events occurring within the past 75 years and birth events occurring within the past 100 years. The programme will ignore data falling within these time limits.
- - What settings to choose?
- Under Windows OS character sets “UFT-8” or “ANSI” are preferable. Under other operating systems you should use “UFT-8” or “UNICODE”. For output format please choose GEDCOM v.5.5 if available.
- - “In the notes and comments section I have personal comments, which I would not like to be published”. What shall I do?
- Comments and Notes will not appear in our database. Some programmes will allow you to omit these from the exported file by unchecking the relevant checkbox.)
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| ABOUT THE DATA SUPPLY FORM |
- -How do you interpret the term „a single Family Tree”?
- Some people prepare their own family tree back to the beginning. That is what we call a single family tree. Trailing back female lines to their beginnings qualify as separate trees. If, for instance, your tree in addition to your own line also encompass your wife’s, your mother’s and your grandmother’s line, that, in our interpretation, add up to a total of four trees.
- - Why do we have to fill in the form repeatedly?
- Corrections are usually done through repeated exchanges of emails until the final version is settled. The covering letter serves as a record of our correspondence for both you and the Webmaster.
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| ABOUT THE ERROR LISTS |
- - What needs to be corrected according to the „X Family Tree” error list?
- Persons can be identified either by the dates of birth and death or by the numbers between the @ symbols. This number can be found in column „B” of the INDIFile at the person’s name.
- Logical mistakes, e.g. when the mother was born later than her child, must be corrected. Dates double-checked shall be verified adding a note (“correct!”) to the end of the line on the list. If further corrections are necessary, in addition to the „new” corrections, previous corrections must also be included. See also the „About dates” section.
- - What needs to be corrected according to the „Hibalogfile-X family tree” error list?
- Here, the date formatting errors shall be corrected. See also the „About dates” section. Interpretation of symbols before the line of dates: * birth, o marriage, + death.
- - What needs to be corrected according to the „INDIFile X family tree” error list?
- Here you should correct errors relating to the wrong format of first names, surnames, titles or if any of these are missing, etc. See also the „About names” section.
(In column „C” of the list you will find surnames, in column “D” first names, and in column “E” titles. Place names should appear in column “G” and in a format recognised by Wikipedia).
Columns “A”, “J”, “N”, and “O” are generated by the data validation programme and should be ignored.
- - What needs to be corrected according to the “SOURFile X family tree” error list?
- Sources should not have reference to persons alive. Therefore the text should refer to sources in general, e.g.: “Data received from family” or to persons marked with initials only.
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| ABOUT NAMES |
- - Where to write the title, rank, Sr., Jr. and other prefixes (dr., prof., Nob., von, etc. ) attached to names?
- The various family tree making programmes may have different field structures to enter names. FTM programmes usually have one single field; therefore we have to apply marks to separate the various elements of a name. After the surname we put the title and other prefixes into parenthesis. The surname (and the prefix) is separated from the first name with slashes. Follow this example: Andreas /Dubniczky (Jr.)/. PAF users should do the same.
MyHeritage users enter the surname, the first name and the title into separate fields. If you wish the title (or other prefixes) to appear in our database, you should put it into parenthesis after the surname. E.g: Dubniczky (Jr.)
Winfamily users enter the surname and first name into separate fields. Again, If you wish the title (or other prefixes) to appear in our database, you should put it into parenthesis after the surname. E.g: Dubniczky (Jr.)
- - Where to write the noble titles?
- The procedure is the same as above.
- - How to enter double-barrelled names?
- Both surnames have to be entered into the surname field.
- - How to enter surnames changed after birth?
- Enter the new surname first followed by the surname at birth. E.g. if a person changed his name from Schwartz to Fekete, enter it this way: Fekete (Schwartz).
- - How to enter names originally registered in Hungary, but used in foreign countries with a different orthography?
- This is up to the submitter. Try to guess which version would be searched more often. Alternatively, you should enter the name in parenthesis. e.g. SZTEHLO (Stehlo) János.
- - How to enter surnames that exist in two versions?
- Enter the other name version in parenthesis. In the PAF and FTM programmes you should enclose both versions between slashes. Eg.: /GEIGER (GAJGER)/. In MyHeritage and Winfamily slashes can be omitted.
- - How to enter multiple given names?
- All should be entered into the given (first) name field.
- - How to enter the names of stillborn children?
- The surname should be entered into the appropriate field. In the given (first) name field enter the event as indicated in the birth register. E.g.: stillborn, stillborn girl, stillborn boy, nameless, etc.
- - How to indicate if the full name of a family member is not known?
- Enter a capital N (without a period) into the respective field.
In MyHeritage the current mark in the Missing Surname menu can be changed to capital N
- - What if only the initial of a first name is known?
- Enter the initial (without a period) in the appropriate field.
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| ABOUT DATES |
- - How to enter uncertain dates?
- Use abbreviations for about - ABT , before – BEF, after – AFT (always without a period)
- - What if the birth dates of the parents or the children are not known?
- These data are essential if data of the next generations are also included. The data validation programme will filter out persons whose birth cannot be connected to the previous generation. In other words, persons without an exact or approximate birth date will be excluded.
- - What if the error list erroneously lists an error (e.g. mother giving birth under the age of 13 years or over 50 years of age)?
- The error list containing such comments should be sent back to the Webmaster with a note indicating that the data is “correct”. See further comments in the “Error Lists” section!
- - What to do if I know that a member in the tree is still alive, but I do not know his or her birth date?
- Give an approximate year of birth e.g.: ABT 1940. You can also use BEF 1940 or AFT 1940 although the programme will only read the year number.
- - How to indicate if the exact year of a life event is not known, only that it took place before or after a certain date?
- In the FTM programme you can use English abbreviations (BEF or AFT) before the date. Attention should be paid to the relevant dates of other related members of the family, as the data validation programme can only read the year number!
The MyHeritage programme will offer you these codes: Before, After, About.
- - Can I use a format indicating alternatives like 1711 / 1715?
- No. You should use the recommended abbreviations ABT, BEF, AFT.
- - Is it acceptable to indicate time periods like 1834-1850, or BET 1834-1850 or from... to ....?
- No, the programme cannot handle this format. Use ABT and a date.
- - What to do if only the date of the source is known? (E.g.: the person is listed in a book published in a given year).
- Just estimate and enter the birth or death data using ABT, AFT or BEF.
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| ABOUT PLACE NAMES |
- - How to indicate if a place name is just a guess?
- Put a question mark after the place name. Always insert a space between the place name and the question mark.
- - How to enter old Hungarian place names?
- Enter the names as they were spelled during the given era, If the location now belongs to a foreign country (pls. note: Hungary, once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, has lost two third of its territory after the Great War), indicate first its current name, then after a space, add the old name in parenthesis.
- - How to add the name of the county or country after little-known place names?
- Always insert a space between the place name and the name of the county or country. You are advised to check it out in Wikipedia, if the name appears in the format you wish to use.
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14-07-2014 |
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