Re: Place names
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In reply to:
Place names
Richard Johnson 2/08/13
Remember that "resolving" place names before FTM2012 was simply an "aid" that was of assistance to quickly standardize names.
For FTM2011 and before, if you want the name to be correct, just type in "County Durham, England" and either leave it unresolved, or click on the option to "Ignore" your preference.
You're done. You know you're right and don't care that the FTM PNA is different.
However, for FTM2012, a new wrinkle is added to the mix. FTM2012 introduced the possibility to view place names either from the "lowest" value first, or to "drill-down" from Country to State to Local1 to Local2 - what FTM calls the "heirarchical view'.
In order for a place name to be included in this new "heirarchical view", the place name has to be resolved.
Now, I'm still not resolving all of my place names becuase I have so many names of record in years gone by (historical or local names) that is not in the "PNA" - and I don't want to destroy the legacy of those old historical place names - or local "nicknames" - or even hamlets and boroughs in New York, or neighborhood names in large cities.
So, I have personally written off the heirarchical view as any value to me.
But some people seem to be driven to get all of their place names into the heirarchical view.
To assist in accomplishing this, FTM simultaneously added a new feature to resolving place names. And that is the capability for FTM to "ignore" portions of the place name, starting with the left-most "piece" of the place name, then the next left-most "piece" of the place, etc and then resolve what is left (on the bottom row of the resolve screen.)
If you are using FTM2012, try to resolve an unresolved name and you will see two rows, one with the original entry and a blank row above it. You can click the "left-most" piece to the upper row, and then the next left-most to the top row. The top row will then be added, as you have it, to whatever the bottom row resolves to. The resulting answer will be included in the heirarchical place view.
So, in FTM you would enter Durham County, England
Then, in Place Names Workspace right-click > Resolve, or in the person data entry space, click on the question mark at the far right of the place name.
Now, click on the Arrow pointing up - and "Durham County" will move to the top row, leaving "England" by itself on the bottom row.
Now, click OK.
You will find that FTM2012 accepts "Durham County, England" as if it were a resolved name and the place name is in the heirchical view.
Note you can now resolve church and cemetery place names in this manner and get them into the heirchical view.