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Recording Dates

Getting Started in Family History

It is extremely important to adhere to genealogical standards when recording dates because the way you normally enter a date may differ from the conventional date format in another nation or time period.

  • When recording dates, use the established European standard of DAY, MONTH (spelt out), and four-digit YEAR. Although this is standard in Australia, some countries reverse the day and month which can cause confusion when sharing your family history information.
  • Months are normally spelt out, but there are some standard abbreviations that can be used – Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. – May, June, and July are not usually shortened.
  • Sometimes you may only have an approximate date for a life event. To specify an approximate date prefix the date with ‘abt.’ (about); or, ‘ca.’ or ‘c.’ (circa).
  • If you know an event happened before or after a given date, you can prefix the date with ‘bef.’ (before) or ‘aft.’ (after) in your records.
  • If you cannot pinpoint an exact date for an event, try using the records to narrow it down to a specific period of time. Use the abbreviation bet. (between) followed by the dates (in conventional date format) separated by a hyphen.
  • If you find a date in a record that could have several interpretations, record it precisely as stated. Following the actual date, you can add your interpretation of the date, such as expressing it in the customary format, by enclosing it in square brackets [ ].
  • Understanding the transition from the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian calendar is extremely important for genealogists and family historians:

According to the Julian calendar, March 25 was the first day of the year, and each year consisted of 365 days and 6 hours. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII discovered that the Julian calendar was incorrect: each day was somewhat longer than usual, and the human calendar was falling behind nature’s calendar. To address the issue, Pope Gregory XIII established the Gregorian calendar. This new calendar moved the start day of the year to January 1 and advanced the calendar by 10 days to compensate for the lost time.

The method of double dating arose as a result of the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendars. This new calendar was not recognised by all countries and people at the same time and was not formally accepted by England until 1752. The difference between the calendars was eleven days by the time England embraced the new calendar. To correct the error, the government mandated that 2 September 1752 would be immediately followed by 14 September 1752. As a result of these discrepancies, many genealogists and historians put dates between January 1 and March 25 prior to 1752 with both years. For example: 1 January 1723/24.

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