Here’s the next in my occasional series of bite-size Quick Tips. Click on the Quick Tips tag for my other Quick Tips. Because I tend to write longer posts, I wanted to provide a quick-to-read (and quick-to-write) post every couple of weeks on a small topic that pops into my head. This is one has come in handy over the years.
Don’t forget to include counties
When I add a place in my genealogy software, I always try to include the county, even if I have to look it up. I didn’t used to do that. But I’ve learned that including the county is beneficial for a couple of reasons: (1) Records are often held at the county level, so knowing the county your ancestor resided in is helpful and (2) It helps you differentiate whether a locality is a city/town or the county of the same name. One locality that is in my database is my hometown of Walla Walla, which is located in the county of Walla Walla, in the state of Washington. So I repeatedly type Walla Walla, Walla Walla, Washington. It’s a little tedious, but it actually makes me smile. That’s just one of several same-named cities and counties in my database. I find it’s worth the time to type it twice. And, of course, this applies to counties that don’t have the same name as the town or city.
If you don’t already routinely include the county when you’re identifying a locality as a matter of course, I encourage you to make it a habit!
Photo by Sam Dan Truong on Unsplash
I also try to include township – at least for my ancestors in Ontario Canada (which is the majority). Many were farmers, so a township was often their “hometown” as opposed to even a village. It helps distinguish Collingwood Township, Grey Country from the town of Collingwood in Nottawasaga Township, Simcoe County. And other similar reusing the same name for different locations.
Thank you for adding that information, Linda!
And I always use the country, for example: Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, USA. Be sure to spell out the name of the state, too.
Good point about spelling out the state, Christy! I should have mentioned that. I don’t usually use USA, though I can see why it makes sense. Probably because I literally don’t have any non-USA locations in my database (yet) it hasn’t seen important. But of course that’s short-sighted of me. Thanks for mentioning it!