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Archiver > TMG > 2002-09 > 1031409676


From: Terry Reigel <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] OT - Cleaning up - #9, census event/source/system
Date: Sat, 07 Sep 2002 10:41:49 -0400


"F. Langset" wrote:

> Interesting points - and clear speak! I do understand those
> differences. That is why I tend more and more to look at
> the census record as evidence for:
>
> where one lived at a certain time (address tag etc.)
> relationship to others (father, spouse tags etc.)
> time and place of birth (birth tag etc.)
> misc. other information (...)
>
> What is so special about a census that it needs to be
> regarded as an event in itself?

Probably nothing, in itself. However I started using a
custom census tag because I found it
was a good way to explain in narratives why I was asserting
someone was living at a certain
place at one particular time, when it would make sense to
show the entire time span they
lived there (which of course I don't know). That is, if I
use the census as a source for a
residence tag that says someone lived someplace in 1880, it
seems to imply they only lived
there for a brief period, or at least beg the question of
"how long?" But if I omit the
residence tag, and create a census tag that shows where they
were living when enumerated, it
is self evident that this is just a "snapshot" of their
residence time there and the actual
length of time is unknown. Similarly, I include in the
census tag miscellaneous "snapshot"
data that occurs in some census records - value of property,
presence of servants, living as
a boarder with unrelated persons, etc.

For the same reasons, I've created a custom tag for applying
for a Social Security number,
which shows the residence and place of employment on a
specific date.

In both cases I continue to use the census or Soc. Sec.
application only as a source for
names, relationships, birthdates and immigration, for
example, rather than include this
information into the census tag as some have described here
recently.

Terry Reigel

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