How to record town names when they change?

Question: How to record town names when they change!?

I am doing ancestry research, and I am wondering what is the best way to record town names when the name has changed several times over the past few hundered years!. The original name!? The current name!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I put the name it was when the event happened, then the current name; as in

"Germantown (now Garner), Seward, Nebraska"

I do the same when counties are renamed, or, more often, when the boundaries shift, and for West Virginia!.

"Sometown, Monroe, Virginia (Now WV)

I know a man whose ancestors came to California in 1776; to do it properly for one of them, I'd have him born in

"Mission San Jose, Alta California, Mexico (Now San Jose, Santa Clara, California, USA)"

That won't fit, so I use "Mission San Jose, Alta Calif!. (Now San Jose, California)

While we're discussing town names, the county helps enormously!. First, there may be two or more cities by that name; Georgia, for instance, has 6 towns named "Lakeside"!. Second, if you look the person up on the census or want to post a note on a county query board, you need the county!.

Roots Magic has a "suggestion" feature; as you type the name of a place, it suggests the whole location name!. Once you enter it in full, you usually only have to enter the first two or three letters for suceeding entries!. I cheat, too!. If I am working on a family that has a lot of facts in Modesto, Stanislaus, California, I will, temporarily, change the name to "M odesto, Stanislaus, California", with a space!. Then, as soon as I type "M", RM suggests Modesto, I press Enter and the location is recorded!.

If your program has the same feature, it isn't that hard to put in the county for every location!.Www@QuestionHome@Com