Hi,
I have a question about using Damme and Osterdamme as a location in my Family Tree Maker tree and my Ancestry tree. If I begin typing in "Damme" in Family Tree Maker, it suggests "Damme, Vechta, Niedersachsen, Germany" which, I am assuming, is the format for Damme today. I want to be as specific as possible while taking into consideration that municipal boundaries have changed over the years.
If I am correct, Damme was part of Oldenburg in the 1800s when my ancestors were there. Would I be correct in citing this location as "Damme, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen (or Lower Saxony), Germany"?
Same question for Osterdamme. Should I use "Osterdamme, Damme, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen (or Lower Saxony), Germany" or "Osterdamme, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen (or Lower Saxony), Germany" or something else?
Thanks for your feedback.
Bill Mayrose
If I’m citing events from pre-1880, I use the location cited in Meyers Gazetteer.
My not-so-humble opinion: Anything that auto-fills/"suggests" when I start to type is a menace. There are places that I simply can't get to on Ancestry because of their "helpfulness."
Personally, I like to enter a location exactly as it was at the time of the birth, baptism, marriage, death, whatever. Having everything reduced to current names and political boundaries might seem like a good idea, but current names and political boundaries are also subject to change in the future, and they provide less information for continued research.
Marilyn
Perhaps my thinking on this is wrong? When citing 1800s events, I use the location used in MeyersGaz. (So, I would say Osterdamme, Vechta, Oldenburg, for example). But, I understand MeyersGaz was accurate from 1871-1918. Would these jurisdictions have been different pre-1871? And, if so, where would I find the accurate historical jurisdictions?
I understand there are two schools of thought on this, either current jurisdictions or historical. And, but may be variably used for research purposes. Since my ancestors emigrated in 1869, I have chosen the historical method because I want it to show who/where they were during the events I’m documenting. But, maybe I’m capturing neither since all my events are pre-1871?
I usually try to use the political and administrative boundaries relevant for the date of the entry, hence "Grand Duchy of Oldenburg" for the 19th century. This can be very challenging for other parts of Germany, but it's also fun. Meyers Gazetteer and "The Historic Gazetteer" at the GOV tab on GEDBAS are very helpful. If you're interested in the modern places, though, this isn't practical.--Jim Rader
Hello Bill,
you should know, former was Oldenburg an own State, therefore the emigrants from this area say from Oldenburg (State).
Since 1946 ist the free state of Oldenburg merged into the State Niedersachen (Lower Saxony) and now an provice in the State Niedersachen. Damme/Osterdamme is located in Vechta county (we say Landkreis Vechta), in Oldenburg province (we say Oldenburger Land), State Niedersachen.
A good idea is to write: Damme-Osterdamme, Vechta, Oldenburg, Niedersachen, Germany
Werner
Thanks for this very helpful explanation. Thanks also for the old map of Oldenburg.
Have you had a chance to check with your friend about joining the group?
Bill
Many thanks to all who responded to my post about citing locations. Once again, members of this group have been very helpful!
Agreed! James Rader’s tip about The Historical Gazetteer was so helpful to me. I had never stumbled upon that section. A lot of work ahead of me correcting a lot of events.