The method
- Transcribe the name as shown, with document date, context and archive reference or address. Preserve uncertain letters instead of making an unmarked correction.
- Search a reference suitable for the country and period. For French municipalities within the cited history, record available changes, dates and identifiers. A name alone cannot distinguish namesake places.
- Keep the transcribed and matched names side by side with the source connecting them. An old spelling, administrative merger and reading error are different hypotheses.
Your recording grid
Use these columns to keep information about your own project. The sheet is blank; you can print it and fill it in.
Fictional worked example
In a fictional example, a document names a place before a name change. Keep the old form for retrieving the document and add a current form only with a sourced link.
The record to keep
Preserve the transcription, document identifier and matching source so a conclusion can be revised without losing the initial record.
What this method can establish
The cited reference covers neither all periods nor the whole world. Matching places establishes neither a person’s residence nor identity.
Useful questions before you start
Should I modernise the name in my notes?
Preserve the document form and add the current match in a separate field.
Is a matching name enough?
Compare period, territory and other references before accepting a match.
Supporting documentation
Documentation consulted on
An editorial method, a fictional example and references for further reading.