Family Historian User Group

With the growing number of Parish Registers becoming available online, I have started to use AS to record these bmd sources (we have previously only used AS and its forerunner to add census data).

I have several instances where a family baptised a number of children on the same day. I would like to have a readily-found note on each sibling's record that other siblings were baptised on the same day - we used to do this by adding a note on the "Main" tab in FH for each record.

It seems to me thtat AS should be able to help on this when entering the baptism data from the PR image, using the Associated Person facility; however, I am uncertain what is the best way to do this. I have added an Association of "Sibling Baptism" and have tried three methods: a) custom event; b) association struct - both ways; and c) linked notes. I am not sure which method gives the best result.

For the custom event, I created a local note of "{KEYPERSON} was baptised same time as {ASSOCPERSON}" and then added each of the other siblings as an associated person. When AS updates FH, the key person has only the baptism added on the "Facts" tab, but no note about the sibling baptism, whereas the associated person has a fact added to the "Facts" tab, with the local note attached to it; the local note is also shown as a note on the "Notes" tab; and the local note is also shown under the sibling baptism entry on the "All" tab. When the second baptism is added for the associated person, these entries are repeated for the former key person, so that both of them have a record (or three) of the two baptisms.

When using association structure - both ways, with a local note as above, both the key and accociated persons have an entry for an associated person, with the local note, on the "All" tab, which I don't think is a clear indication.

For linked notes, there is an entry on the "Notes" tab of the associated person, while the key person has an entry for the baptism on the "All" tab, this having the note attached to it; thus when the second baptism is added, both persons have the note on the "Notes" tab and in the baptism entry on the "All" tab.

I think that I prefer the custom event method, although the linked notes method also gives a satisfactory outcome. WQhat do other people do for such baptisms?

Mick Ralph

Investigating further, I now think that using a Custom Attribute of "Sibling Baptism", with a value of "{KEYPERSON}" and a local note of "{KEYPERSON} was baptised at the same time as {ASSOCPERSON}", gives the best result. This method will give a similar result to the use of the custom event, but has the advantage that the attribute on the "Facts" tab now shows the name of the sibling who was baptised on the same day, unlike for the custom attribute, where it just showes "Sibling Attribute" and it is necessary to look further as to who was the sibling.

Mick Ralph

I suspect that trying any of those methods via AS is going to result in replicated Facts, or other structures that will be cumbersome, and probably not appear in Reports.

Use the Census Event as the basis of a solution. That couples the household of people by using the same Source record for each of their Census Event facts. That is what ties them together in the same Census.

For each Baptism Event use the same Source record for the multiple baptism parish register.
Unlike Census records, you cannot use AS to automate it all.
Use AS to create the composite Source record for one Individual.
That will create the Baptism Event and possibly Birth Event with the required Citation.

Then in FH you could add a Note to the Baptism Event to mention the multiple baptisms.
In FH use Copy & Paste Fact to replicate the Baptism Event with its Citation for each other Individual.
Finally, if required, create a Birth Event for each other Individual and use Copy & Paste Citation to add the same Citation as on the Baptism Event.

Thanks Mike - I will experiment with your suggestion. Your experience and advice is very useful for those of us who haven't used the programs enough to be able to think laterally about their use. I will have to read up about the use of single sources for multiple events.

Mick Ralph

Mick, if you have been using AS for many years to record Census records, then that will have cited the same Source record against each Census Event for every member of the household. It is simply a matter of adding a Citation to the same Source record from several facts. i.e. when you click the Add Citation button in the yellow Source For pane, choose one of the existing Source Records from the list instead of clicking the New button.

Alternatively, the Automatic Source Citations feature does something very similar.

However, in this case you do not even have to go that far.
On the Facts tab, select the Baptism Event created by AS with a Citation of the Baptism Source record.
Click the Copy Fact button in toolbar below.
Move to the Facts tab of one of the other baptised children.
Click the Paste Fact button next to Copy Fact button in toolbar.
That will not only copy the Baptism Event but also its Citation.

To copy just a Citation to another fact, there is a similar pair of Copy Citation and Paste Citation buttons in the Sources For pane.

Mike - I am very grateful for your detailed observations and advice.

A couple of questions arising from this, if I may. When I create the first baptism in AS, the source gets the title "sibling 1 baptism ...". Then, when I Copy and paste the source in FH to create the baptism record for sibling 2, it of course has the title "sibling 1 baptism ...". I guess it is consistent to rename the source as "sibling1, sibling 2, etc baptism ..."?

In similar vein, the auto text from AS will only have the text of the first baptism entry; again, I guess I should copy, paste and amend the text to include thjat from the 2nd and subsequent baptisms? Also, the public information (for a post 1813 baptism will be the record number of the first baptism and should be amended to include the entry numbers of the other baptisms?

Mick Ralph

Yes, you have got it, and some of those changes may be possible in AS originally.
e.g. The AS text box can be edited to whatever you want.

Thanks Mike - I thought so. A little pre-planning before starting the AS process will help to make it as efficient as possible.

Mick Ralph