Adding a profile with no birth or death dates, How?

Question

I have the names of parents from a baptism source yet when I try to add those parents, I cannot because I don't have any birth or death dates. How (or can) I add that profile?

Answer 1

You can estimate birth dates.  For instance, say the baby was baptised in 1700, then you can estimate that the parents were age 21 when the baby was baptised.  Or age 25.  Or whatever age you (logically) choose.  Some people don't like estimating, because that could possibly create duplicates, because an estimated age of 21 might miss the 2-year window of a real age of 16.

Comments

You can also use a "before" or an "after" date, which may be a better solution than an "uncertain" date.

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Thank you, I did read some of the answers from related questions. I am not sure it is wise to proceed in that manner as the child bearing years can be significant. I think for me it's best not to add those profiles. The parent's names are noted on the child's profile anyway. Thanks again

Answer 2

Do you have or can you find baptism dates for any other children of those parents?

If so you can estimate birth dates for parents as 20-30 years before the birth of the oldest child. It won't be particularly accurate but could be helpful.

Do you have enough information to look for a marriage date for the parents?

If you post the information you have here, someone might be able to find records for you. Where and when was the child baptised? Parent's names?

Comments

I’m like you. I have profiles that show the fathers name and only the mothers first name. I refrained from creating the parents unless I can find some source records for the parents. Most of these are in England and there are just too many with the same names to guess.

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I find FreeReg very useful for finding baptism records, plus marriages and burials it covers most places in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

But that doesn't mean all those places have records available. It is free and can generate a citation for WT use.

https://www.freereg.org.uk/

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I'm also often in this situation, e.g. maybe all I really know is that a couple had a child baptized in 1800 and another in 1802. Sometimes I'm tempted to use the date "before 1950",  just so that the profiles can be created, but I really hate the idea of using any kind of so-called "estimates" in such cases -- it is too potentially misleading.

Answer 3

You put the birth as before the date of the first record you have, and the death as after the date of the last one.

Comments

Based on many records in England at that time, the parents probably were born about 1780, married 1799 and then the kids started coming. I would search in those periods however there are many duplicate names which makes a definite match very difficult. Only after the 1841 census do you have a better chance getting a match.

Answer 4

I tend to wait until I have more information, unless I need to add a sibling and will be coming back to fill in with more accurate and sourced information.

I use estimates to look for sources.

Answer 5

Until about four years ago it was possible to enter profiles without any date. But since then one date has to be included into the profile. If you do an estimate please explain in the biography what's your conclusion to make this estimate.