Family History Names and Alphabets

I recently started reading Getting It Right: The Definitive Guide to Recording Family History Accuratelyby Mary H. Slawson. The author suggests that an ancestor's names should always be recorded in the language that the ancestor used to record their name and, barring that information, in the language mostly likely used in their home or country of origin. So for example, a German ancestor should have their German version of their name stored as the name of the ancestor and the anglicized version (if one was found in other source documents) of the name should be stored as an AKA. This is very well and good, especially if you have tools that support the process.

But what if the name uses another alphabet than the researcher. We are faced with the ancestors name in their native alphabet and possibly another alphabet interpretation to make it easier and more accessible for the researcher. After discussing the issue with some of my colleagues, here are my conclusions:

There are two cases where you may have a non-native alphabet version of ancestors name. The first is when the alternate alphabet has been used in a source document. In this case the name should be recorded "as is" as an AKA with a pointer to the source and the extraction.

The second is where the alternate alphabet version of the name is an interpretation by the researcher of a native alphabet name found in a source document. In this case it is not extracted information, but a specific researcher's interpretation of the information (possibly using standard tools, but still an interpretation). The interpreted name should still be recorded as an AKA and include the declaration that it is an interpretation, a pointer back to the original name that was extracted, an explanation of the interpretation method used, and the name of the researcher.

My concern is if the extracted and interpreted versions of the name are all lumped together as information from the source, you have a situation creating erroneous assumptions and possibly bad conclusions about the ancestor.

It would also be very helpful for the family history applications to show the researcher's native alphabet when displaying the information, along with ancestor's native alphabet for family history flavor and context.

Family History Wiki

I've started a Lyon Family History Wiki. I wanted to start by focusing on my great-great-grandfather Charles Lyon. I am hoping to gather more information about him &mdash I believe it exits out there somewhere.

Family History and Genealogy Conference 2006

This week I was able to attend the Family History & Genealogy Conference. Many years ago, I used to work and teach in the BYU Family History Lab. But, as I learned at this conference, many things have changed. It was a great opportunity to catch-up on the state of Genealogy work.

The Internet, the Internet, and the Internet

The Internet has become a pivotal tool in Genealogy work. Resources include digitized records, indexes of records, family websites, blogs, and newsletters. Here are a few of the blogs that were interesting to me:

• Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter


• Taking Genealogy to the Common Person - Dan Lawyer

The following site puts together a world time-line for one of your ancestors:

• OurTimeLines.com

Because of the large number of resources there are also a number of websites that index the many genealogy websites. A few of note are:

• Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet


• Linkpendium - The Definitive Director

Modern technology has greatly enhanced our ability to do genealogy work.

Research Guidance

I have used the FamilySearch website on a number of occasions, but I never noticed the Research Guidance. Information is presented by locality on how to find records. Using the information on this site I ordered a marriage certificate for my great-great-great grandfather.

Genealogy Software

I was able to meet with some of the engineers and other employees working with the following genealogy software programs:

• Ancestral Quest (and PAFWiz)


• Legacy Family Tree


• PAF Insight


• RootsMagic

It was interesting to see the software packages start to take advantage of the Internet resources.

The "New" FamilySearch

There was a lot of talk about the "New" FamilySearch. The major goals of the project are to eliminate duplication, simplify the temple process, and increase participation. It is hoped that the roll-out will start the end of this year.

The New Church History Building

The construction North of the Church Office Building is for a Church History Building, not a Family History Building &mdash a common misconception. The construction should be completed late 2006.

Family History Position

I have accepted a position in the Family History Department of the LDS Church and started on the 10th of July. I am working on a team to create an open-source reference client for the "New" FamilySearch. It is a great project and I am excited for this opportunity.

My last day at Novell was the 7th of July. After working for Novell for over 12 years, I was a little sad to leave. I have many good friends and memories from my time there.