How do you remove an incorrect maiden name from a profile? [closed]

Question

I recently adopted an existing profile, Thayer-2261. The maiden name is incorrect and unknown. How should I proceed correcting this profile?

Thank you, Bob

Answer 1

Correcting a Last Name at Birth

Sometimes you need to fix a typo or a mistake in a last name, or change someone from "Unknown". A Last Name at Birth (LNAB) is easy to edit but it should not be changed without careful consideration.

Significance of the LNAB

The Last Name at Birth (LNAB) is significant on WikiTree. It is used to create the WikiTree ID (e.g. Franklin-1) and the URL for the profile (e.g. http://www.WikiTree.com/wiki/Franklin-1).

When an LNAB is changed, in the background we need to create a new WikiTree profile and merge the existing profile into it.

LNABs should not be changed back-and-forth.

An LNAB should never be changed unless you have a high degree of confidence that the name you're changing it to is correct.

If you are uncertain whether the current LNAB is correct (e.g. you think that "Smith" is probably wrong but you don't know what it should be), explain your uncertainty in the text of the profile and leave the LNAB as-is.

Changing an LNAB

To change a Last Name at Birth simply click the "edit" link next to it on the edit page.

To do this you need be on the Trusted List. This is true even for Open profiles because of the special significance of LNABs.

 

Answer 2

Hello Bob

I'm presuming you are pre-1700 certified.  Go into the edit of the profile.

Scroll down - find the surname.

Click on edit - this enables you to change the surname.

Comments

I'm pre-1700 certified.  When you go into the edit feature you are presented with a blank box and a name is expected to be entered and saved. In this case there is no last/maiden name. At least there isn't one at this time, it's unknown. Do you leave the box blank or enter unknown ?

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Are you the profile manager?

Alternative - create a profile as unknown, then do a merge keeping the surname as unknown.

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Yes, I just adopted the orphaned profile.

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The link for changing the LNAB is pretty subtle. There's no blank to fill in. Look for this on the Edit screen, and click on "edit":

Last Name at Birth:Thayer  [edit]

And yes, you should enter Unknown as the new last name.