Hello, I read the following with interest: << I have had a request to delete the birth dates of living persons from a section of the CHASE Dbase. To do this I would have to delete dates of birth for all living persons in the database. This may include some that are obviously dead but have no date of death recorded.>> Most groups with which I am familiar do including the living persons but do not give the birth dates (for whatever reason...vanity, junk mail, etc.). The names and place of residence (at least the state or country or city) are given and then in place of a birthdate, the term "living" is used. To avoid having to delete the birth dates of those dead and for whom there is no death date (or when the person is so old, it has to be assumed he is dead), the word "deceased" is placed in the death date. In this manner, there is something in the death date and the GEDCOM is happy. I believe the LDS church (PAF) uses the above method. I know Ancestral Quest uses it in this manner. I find having the names of living persons to be invaluable since I have had to trace down to living descendants with the hope of finding something about the common ancestors. Also, it is most important to know the birthdates (& place of birth) of those assumed dead (100 years after birth?? 105?? I do not know when the assumption should be made - but that is another story!) I think we are on the way to establishing a great site. Rex Gilman Chase