I have a favor to ask of everyone on the Lists which I manage. Actually, it's not so much of a favor, as it is a reminder. As most of you know, I receive many databases in GEDCOM format from other researchers, GEDCOM's which I import into my database so that I can help others in their searches. Well, having done this for years now, I have finally gotten up the courage to "suggest" that many (most?) researchers are not aware of universally accepted standards for inputting dates and place events into a database. The dates usually don't present a problem, since my genealogy program translates just about any format (99%) of the time in to the proper format. Place names are an entirely different matter. It wouldn't be so bad if a researcher were CONSISTENT in putting in place names; however, many use different formats in the same database. Let me give you some examples: In one database, I might find: Schwiagern, Wurttemberg, Germany Schwiagern Schwiagern, Germany Schwiagern, Ger. Schwiagern, Wurt., Germany Now there is no reason why a researcher would use so many different ways to input the correct place name: Schwiagern,Württemberg,GER or Schwiagern,Wurttemberg,GER or Schwiagern,Wuerttemberg,GER Any of the 3 above would be correct; it's just that any reference to this place should be consistent throughout a database. For US places, the proper format is: City,County,ST Please note that there are no spaces after the commas and the state should be the official two-letter designation, in CAPS, for that state. e.g., Knoxville, Knox,TN (commas between the three parts, no spaces) Since this IS the accepted format, anyone looking at it cannot be confused. It is not: Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee or Knoxville, Knox. Co., TN etc. One can look at the above and immediately and positively know what is meant. Now about unknowns in a "place" event. Examples of how to show unknowns for the above place: Knoxville,,TN (County is not known) ,Knox,TN (Town is not known) ,,TN (Neither Town nor County is known) Let's say that you see a "place" as this: Bedford, Ohio or Bedford, OH Is Bedford a town or a county? If a county, it should look like this: ,Bedford,OH If a town, it should look like this: Bedford,,OH I, as a researcher, and using my genealogy program, can, with a couple hours of work, correct the "place" errors; however, the date errors are another thing entirely. Want to guess how many ways researchers input dates into their databases? You don't want to know. Examples: 1/2/12 (is that 1 Feb. 1912, 1 Feb. 1812, 2 Jan. 1912, 2 Jan. 1812?) January 12 1918 12 January 1918 12 January, 1918 1-2-18 1-2-1918 etc., etc. See the confusion? The proper universal genealogy database standards is: 12 Jan 1918 No periods, no commas, the day always precedes the year, and the year is in 4 digits. (Day, Month, Year; makes sense) One other thing and I will quit. When inputting data in the fields for events, there are, in most programs, places for Date, Place, and Misc. Researchers put everything imaginable into the Place box, dates, comments, etc. Folks, the only thing that goes in to the Place box is the PLACE. It really looks bad when one does a printout of a database and sees "Born 16 Jan 1885, at (2nd child of the family)". I hope no one takes offense at this posting. I am not merely trying to make things easier on myself, I am trying to alert everyone that there IS a standard for such things. I don't know why the various genealogy database programs don't have, as the very first item in the "readme" files, a section on proper format. Beats me. Feel free to ask questions or make comments on this. The more exposure, the better. George Listowner