Comments on North American Place Names

Question

On 6 Apr 2024 Ian Jones wrote on North American Place Names:

Any chance that your spreadsheets could take precedence over the FamilySearch place names that are currently in the drop down place names? There are a number of discrepancies and your spreadsheets are much more accurate.

Edit to add improvements tag.

Answer 1

Barry is the author of the accurate place names spreadsheet that was linked above.  The suggestion made on the spreadsheet was not how to ignore the familysearch but how to get THESE from the spreadsheet used INSTEAD of familysearch.  As a substitute, you can reference the spreadsheet to find the right terms.  I bookmark it and use it regularly.  Canada is included too.

Answer 2

Barry, you can ignore the discrepancies in the FamilySearch place names.  You should enter the place name as it existed at the time of the event.

Answer 3

There are thousands of incorrect place names included on the Family Search provided drop down locations list.

Use the place names as seen on the records you are using as sources on the person's profile.

Answer 4

The dropdown menu on WikiTree is completely different and usually more accurate than the one employed on familysearch.  I can't say I'm familiar with all the names on the place name spread sheet, but was led to assume that's where the dropdown menu on this site takes its cues from.

As Tommy said you should input the place name at the time of the event according to the agreed upon convention here but are free to input whatever you feel is the correct place as long as it isn't completely incorrect.  For example, there's no shortage of French-Canadian profiles that say Québec, Canada when it should be Lower Canada or Canada East (Bas-Canada, Canada-Est) and most people don't lose sleep over it.

Comments

The standrd of *as long as it isn't completely incorrect* is not the standard we want to use.  Yes there are many that are incorrect as you mention.  I clean them up whenever I find them.  I would like to encourage everyone to use the spreadsheet as it has the right names for the right time period.  Researched many times over, so you don't need to rely on the often incorrect WikiTree and Family Search terms.

We have been told numerous times that the WikiTree dropdown IS the Family Search locations.

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Ok.

But where are you getting that the wikitree dropdown menu and the familysearch are the same? I use both rather regularly, and see multiple differences in the choices available. Two completely different unrelated systems on two completely separate unrelated websites.  Maybe they're both wrong, I'm not going to dispute that, but they are definitely different.  Especially related to Manitoba/Red River Settlement place names and some from Québec/Lower Canada.  Possibly more places but those are the areas I usually work with.

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Here's a somewhat recent G2G that says they are the same.  I've read it many times with tech people telling us this.

https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1565454/how-do-you-add-a-town-to-the-dropdown-menu?show=1565454#q1565454

Unfortunately they also tell us that's how it is and hey we aren't planning to implement our own.  I hide location suggestions because there are so many errors, including counties that did not exist when they have them.

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Just confirming that the locations in the dropdown are from the FamilySearch places API.

Edited to add: If you have the WikiTree Browser Extension installed, that edits the locations in the dropdown a bit: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:WikiTree_Browser_Extension#Locations_Helper