Digiarkiston keskustelufoorumi

In researching an ancestorial record I noticed 2 last names for the person with eli seperating them. I know the eli means, "that is to say".
How do I use these two names when entering their last name in my tree and more importantly future searches.
Example, below is Pätsi eli Särkelä. Would I enter his last name as Pätsi or Särkelä or as Pätsi-Särkelä?
Researching: should I assume that Pätsi was an older name and Särkelä would be the current name? This would account for my not finding some records because I am looking at the wrong name.
Please advise.
Thank You
Janice


Kuusamo
Married
Link to this event [ 4009850 ]

Announced / Married 10.1.1892
Man Village / Farm
Name Itsellinen Iisakki Matinp. Pätsi eli Särkelä
Wife Village / Farm
Name itsellinen Anna Vappu Pekantr. Ämmälä eli Maaninka
Own comment
Original comment MIKÄ: 33
VIKÄ: 35

Links SSHY - Digiarkisto

You are confronting a problem which has no single solution. If you think you have found a rule, applying that rule proves soon to be wrong. Try to read out what is the motivation for the two names or the history.

If you notice that an intentional name change has occurred it is one thing. In old times a priest could write "A vill kallas B" meaning A now wants to be called B. So then you perhaps should write A formerly B.

Often a name creeps in as an alternative name so that "or" or "alternatively" could be the right way to phrase it. Then it means there is no preferential selection yet, perhaps never was.

In North like in Rovaniemi it has become customary to use "eli" to separate the former and the most current name. Korva eli Niemi could present a person who lived in Korva farm but has settled in Niemelä. But then the reader should be advised to read it that way when a report is made.

If you use a dash for different cases it is confusing. It is not advisable. Select A - B to mean one thing only and explain it in a footnote for example.

A good genealogy program support the use of alternative names enabling you to search with any one of the alternatives and yet produce a good hit. But the is no consensus how the proram should be implemented so beware, you may be disappointed.

Thank you for looking into this matter for me. I agree with what you say. I have been using the 2nd name as the current name and making a comment line of the first name being a former name. When I perform additional searches for relatives I usually look for both names and hope for the best and if in doubt I do nothing. Doing geneology is all subjective isn't it. You may find names that look like they could be a match then when you get a 'hint' flag, as I do in Ancestry.com, you find yourself looking at completely new family. That is when I say a four letter word and ponder what to do.
Thanks again for your help.
Janice