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Archiver > TMG > 2007-10 > 1191948773


From: Lee Hoffman <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] Name Change on Immigration
Date: Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:52:53 -0400
References: <2007109111956.177789@Terry3><9EFD5048C1E043D6A5041EE4B61D8981@CharlieXVI><470BACB9.5090901@earthlink.net>
In-Reply-To: <470BACB9.5090901@earthlink.net>


Richard Webb wrote:
>One more related question. Is it better to have the name on the details
>sheet be the earliest known name and then use name variation tags
>followed by use of secondary names in the subsequent tags. Or is there
>a better strategy.

Yes, no, maybe. What do _you_ want? To quote the TMG User Guide (p. 29):
"The primary name is the one used when reports allow for only one
name to be included."
So it depends on what you want. Most TMG users enter the name given
at birth as the Primary name. But this can change depending on the person.

For example, anyone looking for my nephew in a report might not find
him if I enter his birth name as his Primary name. His name was
changed a couple of years later and now everyone know him by the new
name. Thus I entered the new name as Primary and the birth name in a
Name-Chg Tag adjusting the Tag Sentence as needed.

Similarly, a cousin was given the name Jesse Marion when he was
born. His children were shocked to find that Jack was a
nickname. Therefore, I entered his Primary name as Jack and added a
Name-Chg Tag.

Assign the name that you want as Primary. Then select the desired
name for each Tag. If you find that most of the time, you are
leaving the default (e.g., Primary) name for the Tags then you
probably have the "right" name as Primary. On the other hand, if you
find yourself changing the name on most Tags to a non-Primary name
then you _may_ want to change which name is designated as Primary.

Hope this helps -

Lee Hoffman/KY
TMG Tips: <http://www.tmgtips.com>;
My website: <http://www.tmgtips.com/lhoffman>;
A user of the best genealogy program, The Master Genealogist (TMG)


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