Family Historian User Group

I've just gone through looking at all the source types I have and how they relate to this issue and when I'd want to check.

Births: I only have three type Birth source records - GRO Birth Index, one Irish birth in their index and one actual birth certificate (just realised I haven't sources scanned and recorded for immediate family where I have the paper certs - d'oh!). Citations: Census to check. Deaths - I'd still want to check; Marriages (derived from age) - to check; Misc (one family bible fly leaf) - I'd want to check to find where registered. Baptisms need to be looked at as it's 50:50 whether the have birth date.

Marriages: Marriage type sources are two kinds: marriage index or an actual marriage - neither need checking. I have two military service citations which reference the marriage date and two newspaper articles. I did wonder if AS would add a citation for the 1911 census where you have years married - but apparently not.

Deaths: None of the source type Death need checking, they are either GRO or actual death records (from AS). There's various other citations (types Gravestone, Marriage (father deceased), Military, Probate) where I'd want to look for the GRO if not also present.


I think what would work, is where Enter GRO Index Source Type text is entered, a tick box to say Ignore all other source types. Does that make sense?

tatewise wrote: ↑

06 Feb 2023 10:25

You suggested an option to check for a specified source type only, but I don't understand how that would work.
If the BMD event has any citation of that type is that considered missing records or not?

Basically, what I am aiming for is that every individual has (where relevant) sources of type Birth, Marriage and Death with a dates that are Qx or more precise.

jelv wrote: ↑

06 Feb 2023 12:48

I think what would work, is where Enter GRO Index Source Type text is entered, a tick box to say Ignore all other source types. Does that make sense?

Sorry, but I'm not sure what 'ignore all other source types' means.
Does it mean treating all those other source types as if their citations do not exist?

That works for any BMD event with any Date or no Date, if it leaves no other citations.
Since it is deemed to have no citations, it is listed as missing BMD records.

In all other cases, as far as I can tell, it is NOT listed as missing BMD records.

If no GRO Index Source Type text is entered then all BMD events with inexact Dates including Quarter/Month Dates will get listed as missing BMD records.

Is that what you are expecting?

tatewise wrote: ↑

06 Feb 2023 13:33

jelv wrote: ↑

06 Feb 2023 12:48

I think what would work, is where Enter GRO Index Source Type text is entered, a tick box to say Ignore all other source types. Does that make sense?

Sorry, but I'm not sure what 'ignore all other source types' means.
Does it mean treating all those other source types as if their citations do not exist?

Yes.

tatewise wrote: ↑

06 Feb 2023 13:33

That works for any BMD event with any Date or no Date, if it leaves no other citations.
Since it is deemed to have no citations, it is listed as missing BMD records.

That's what I need. For Baptisms I'll check if they give the date and exclude them from the individuals to check using a query if they have.

tatewise wrote: ↑

06 Feb 2023 13:33

In all other cases, as far as I can tell, it is NOT listed as missing BMD records.

Unless there is a source of the specified type but the event date is not quarter, month or exact when it should be listed.

I've tried a couple of methods of recording the records I've checked and excluded from subsequent runs of the plugin. What I've settled on is three research notes of type Log. That will be linked to the individuals as a shared research note and in the note itself, in the table I will link the individuals where I can also note why I'm excluding each one. I've then created three queries which select all the individuals with each of the notes. When I run the plugin I'll always use the Anyone via the Select Records dialog, and, having made the initial selection (by any method), I can then Remove using query to remove the individuals already checked.

Edit: the only minor snag with the elimination of already checked marriages is where the individual married more than once - I'll only add them to the research note when all marriages have been checked. Does the plugin ignore Unmarried couple and Never Married?

Note Baptism Events are only checked if there is no Birth Event.

I say: "In all other cases, as far as I can tell, it is NOT listed as missing BMD records."
You say: "Unless there is a source of the specified type but the event date is not quarter, month or exact when it should be listed."
You are correct.

I keep asking you to check the plugin help & advice regarding the FAQ What factors determine that a BMD Record is missing?
You will see that answers your question about Unmarried Couple and Never Married.

On reflection, where I say "You are correct", IMO that is a technicality that is unlikely in practice.

If a BMD event has an inexact Date that is not a GRO Index Quarter/Month Date then the citation is not a GRO Index but something like a BMD Certificate which provides an exact Date, so how can the event Date be inexact?
e.g.
If the Birth Event Date is say June 1900 what Birth type of citation only provides that partial date?
It cannot be a Birth Certificate citation.
A GRO Birth Index citation is not possible as that would provide a Quarter Date (or a Month date after 1984).

Yes, you are right. The closest you'd get would be a type Baptism where the birth is some unknown time before so not relevant. Anything else would give quarter, month or exact (even if it is wrong as in the case of my grandmother).

Been thinking about this some more. What about if from a census where the age for an infant was something like 3w? AS would have estimated a birth date. If there was a GRO source it may not even overlap the given date if the actual birth was at the end of a quarter. I would have left the birth date as that calculated by AS as being 'better' than the GRO quarter (provided they looked compatible). If it did get reported I'd just check and use my ignore from future runs method so not really an issue.

Ok, I think we have explored all the possibilities.
When I get a moment I'll add the tick box to ignore all source citations that don't match the Source Type text filter.

tatewise wrote: ↑

07 Feb 2023 00:16

If the Birth Event Date is say June 1900 what Birth type of citation only provides that partial date?
It cannot be a Birth Certificate citation.
A GRO Birth Index citation is not possible as that would provide a Quarter Date (or a Month date after 1984).

Later GRO indices provide a registration month and year, not just a Quarter.

Yes, that is what the 'Month date after 1984' refers to and is the subject of John's first posting which led to a fixed attachment that caters for just such GRO Index dates.

John, I have found time to implement your suggestion for a tick option to ignore all Source Citations that do NOT match the Source Type text filter.

Try the attached Lookup Missing BMD Records plugin Version 2.6.2 Date 15 Feb 2023.

If the option is not ticked then the Source Type filter is assumed to be for a GRO Index and if associated with a Quarter Date or Month Date after 1984 then the BMD record is considered as NOT missing.

If the option is ticked then all Source Citations that do NOT match the filter are disregarded.
( The GRO Index filtering is also still applied. )

I've checked at least 20 cases where from the birth date and combination of sources already present it might have missed them and so far it's looking absolutely spot on.

Thank you.

Bonus: because other sources are ignored, it doesn't matter if the GRO birth source isn't the first!

The Lookup Missing BMD Records plugin Version 2.7 Date 23 Feb 2023 is now in the Plugin Store.

All prototype plugin attachments will shortly be deleted.