If I don't know a maiden name - should I enter the first name of a person identified as a wife?

Question

612 Location too early in birth location

Unknown-388759  H

UK < 1801

Ann Unknown

uncertain 1720-00-00 UK

uncertain 1780-00-00

Female

Raebel-2

Comments

If the first name is all you know, then you add it.  It may help someone else find out more.

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Agree with the others who have said yes, and also to add there are some ladies whose surnames may not ever be known and it's important for her to have her page (instead of leaving her out until it's found) because that just might be it for her.

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Dina, totally agree with your point.  While adding what info we have to help other researchers is always a goal, for me the acknowledgment of the unknown x-grandmothers has always been the primary goal for including the Unknowns.  Unfortunately, the reality is that the further back we go, the more Unknowns we find, especially those for whom we can't even find a first name. All the more reason to honor their memory, however ephemeral, with a profile.

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Well said, Art!

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Thanks for the compliment Pip, much appreciated.

Answer 1

I concur with the other "yes" answers here: you should enter as much detail about all of your profiles as you can - it will help others to not only find them, but to also validate or exclude them.

And don't forget to annotate in the biography what you do or don't know.  For example, if all you have is the word of Aunt Jennie, put in the bio, "From an unsourced family tree written by Jennie Toliver, the first name of John's wife is Minnie."

Answer 2

Yes, I agree with Melanie
Paul

Answer 3

Thanks everyone, that's the logical answer I expected.  I was just worried by the query by Wiki that I was doing something wrong and that there was a better way to do it.

Comments

Geoff, the problem on that profile per the suggestions list was not the name.  It was that the location said UK before there was a UK.  (I fixed that and marked it corrected, so it should not show up again.)

Now .. getting some sources is another thing again .. but we, collectively, can do it (eventually). 

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Thanks Melanie for the fix!

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No worries. 

Gotta earn my "right" to keep that DD badge I was recently given. 

.

.

(Besides, I like to help where I can and would have even without the badge.)

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I dips me hat to you. Forgot about the Union, before Brexit

Tks

Geoff