Marital Status - Event or Fact

[F1fan]

Hi Everyone.

When using a Census to record data, this is classed as an ' Event ' the same as Birth, Marriage, Military Service, Death etc

On the Census you may have the Marital Status listed so would this be classed as an ' Event ' for the person or a ' Fact ' ?

[LizzieL]

When using a Census to record data, this is classed as an ' Event ' the same as Birth, Marriage, Military Service, Death etc

Sorry, I don't understand this. Do you mean when the head of household completes their census form?

[LizzieL]

Forgetting about censuses, I would think the marriage ceremony would be the event. The subsequent status of that  couple as "married" would be a fact

[F1fan]

Hi LizzieL,

Sorry if it wasn't clear, I mean when we as genealogists obtain a Census and enter the data into our preferred program do we enter the Marital Status as an Event or a Fact ?

The only reason I ask is that a program I am trying enters the Marital Status as an Event but I feel it is a Fact ?

Forgetting about censuses, I would think the marriage ceremony would be the event. The subsequent status of that  couple as "married" would be a fact

Exactly, that is my thinking.

[aghadowey]

Surely the census record should be a source (which may or may not be a fact) not event.

[LizzieL]

Yes I would agree, an event would be a one off thing like the date of marriage. But it is also a fact.

A fact is anything you know to be correct because you have evidence to back it up.

The two words aren't really opposites.
So if you are entering data for a particular person from census information, you might put

Joe Bloggs
Married
Head
Age xx
Place of birth xxxx

these would all be facts

The date of census would be the event which would be linked to these fact/s as in the next census things would change, even if only his age advancing by 10 years

[LizzieL]

My FTM software has a very large notes page that I can enter all this information freeform, without being restricted by trying to decide whether something fits into a particular category. 

[F1fan]

LizzieL & aghadowey

Thank you for your views and that you agree it is a Fact and that the Census is an Event and the Marriage would be the Event - I had started to doubt myself

My FTM software has a very large notes page that I can enter all this information freeform, without being restricted by trying to decide whether something fits into a particular category. 

The one I am trying has a Census Entry ' tool ' and adds the Events & Facts, transcribes the details entered for the Census ( so no need to copy from somewhere or manually transcribe ) but has put the Marital Status as an Event which I felt was strange so thought I would ask the community.

Thank You and hope this might help anyone new