* recording conflicting data

[jmurphy]

I'd like to know how you would enter the following data in Family Historian.

The problem is with one of my husband's 2x great-grandfathers. His wife's name appears in records either as Martha (E.) or as Lucinda. She is Martha E. in the IGI and in the Vital Records index for the state (married 1867). She is Martha in the 1880 Census.

In later census records, his obituary, her children's obituaries, etc. she is 'Lucinda'. I have not found her own obituary, nor an exact death date. (Her death is around 1919, too late for the online state Vital Records and too early for the SSDI.)

I began to wonder if 2x great-grandpa had married sisters or cousins, both named Jones. But then I realized that if Sam had married Martha in 1867 and Lucinda in 1869, we would expect him to be found with Lucinda in the 1880 Census, not Martha -- unless of course he had managed to be married to both of them at the same time. [wink]

At the moment I am leaning toward the theory that all these records do belong to the same person, and that Lucinda was simply the name she used later in life.

But my question for you is -- in cases like this where the evidence is unclear, how would you record the data? At what point do you decide 'this must be all the same person' and what criteria do you use to determine that?

Do you attach it all to one wife, making notes about the conflicts as you go? Or do you make entries for each name and then merge the two individuals when you have enough evidence to assume they are the same person?

Jan

ID:2953

[Jane]

My feeling would be mark as two different wifes until you are sure. As it's normally easier to merge two people than to split them.

[jmurphy]

The other interesting tidbit is that one of the girls in one of the census records is marked as 'step-daughter'.

I'm in the process of reviewing all the records to see if I can sort things out.

But for now I have made two different wives, in part to keep it easier to keep track of which sources have which name.

I forgot to mention in the initial post that Lucinda's marriage date is based on the couple having celebrated their golden wedding anniversary not long before Lucinda dies.

Jan