Properties Help

The MormonPlaces database is structured around the assertion, an individual statement or claim of a property of an entity, like "Durland Branch started on January 15 1897." Here are the available properties; if you want to say something that isn't covered here, let us know and we will consider adding it.

had common name (common name)

A name we can use to recognize this entity separate from others in MormonPlaces. Usually based on the official name, but could also include other hints to differentiate it from similar entities and help users find it. For example, "Durland/Olive Branch (Georgia 1892)" suggests alternate names, a state (in case there are Durland Branches in other states or countries), and a year (in case the Durland Branch had earlier or later incarnations)

exists as a (exists)

The core assertion, that this entity existed at some point in time. The value is a general entity type; currently, it must be either settlement [a town originally settled by Mormons], cemetery [one mostly interring Mormons], congregation [a ward, branch, stake, etc.], building [meetinghouse, temple, etc.], or event [a place where something occurred]. This must be constant for the life of the entity (i.e., it cannot change from a building to a cemetery)

had official name (name)

The official name by which the entity was called at the time. If it changed, enter a separate assertion for each name. We suggest that both English and local language alternatives be included when possible.

is a(n) (entity type)

The specific type of entity. For example, if the exists type is congregation, the entity type would be a type of church unit, such as ward, branch, stake, or mission. Unlike the exists type, this can change over time, such as a branch becoming a ward.

began at date (started)

The date on which the entity began, such as when a ward was organized. The date must be entered using the EDTF standard format to be interpreted correctly.

ended at date (ended)

The date on which the entity ceased to exist, such as when a ward was disorganized or a settlement was abandoned. See EDTF standard.

existed on date (occurred on)

A single date on which the entity existed, implying that it did not exist before or after this date. Rarely used, primarily for events.

has description (description)

A text description of the place, as short or as long as you like. Must be original text; quotations of published descriptions should use Quote

located at (location)

Where the entity existed. There are for options for describing location, depending on which datatype you select:

Coordinate (OGC WKT), given an exact latitude and longitude in decimal degrees. Points are formatted as POINT(x y), where x is the longitude and y is the latitude with a space between them. This is the default, and the only type that will produce locations on the map.
Standard placename (text), as would be entered in family history records, or even a street address. For example, "Durland, Georgia, United States."
Description (text), giving a general description of a location. For example, "On Smith Hill, about 15 miles south of Durland."
Entity reference (entity #), stating that the location is the same as another entity in the MormonPlaces database.

has population/membership (population)

The number of people in an entity, such as the members of a ward. Actual numbers (datatype "integer") are preferred and the default, but text descriptions such as "about 20" are allowed.

is of religion (religion)

The specific Church (within the broader Restoration Movement) to which the entity or its members belonged. Although most of the entities are related to the LDS Church, we welcome all places, and do our best to be neutral on the issue of succession. Therefore, the currently valid values are:

Early: the original Church during Joseph Smith's lifetime (1830-1844)
LDS: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("the Utah Church"), followers of Brigham Young (beginning August 1844).
RLDS: the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (now Community of Christ), followers of Joseph Smith III (beginning 1852).
Strang: the church organized by James J. Strang (primarily 1844-1856)
Cutler: the church organized by Alpheus Cutler (1852-)

digital image URL (image)

The URL of a picture of the entity. This should be a direct link to the image itself, such that it could be included in the MormonPlaces page, not a link to a page containing images. We trust you to make sure that displaying the image in MormonPlaces is in keeping with any copyright restrictions (we do not make a copy of it, only link to it), and that you properly cite the source using qualifiers.

digital image site URL (image link)

The URL of a website that contains pictures of the entity.

is the same as (same as)

Asserts that this entity is identical to one described elsewhere, meaning the exact same thing, not just at the same location. For example, Bountiful City is not the same as Bountiful Stake. If the data type is "entity #," then the value is the ID of another entity in MormonPlaces; if it is "URI," then the value is the URL of another web page that is primarily a representation of the same place.

is referenced in quote (quote)

A published text that talks about this entity. Can be a verbatim transcription (text datatype), or a link to the quote on another website (URI datatype). The former must not violate copyright restrictions and the source must be fully cited using qualifiers.

is a member of entity (belongs to)

States that this entity belongs to another entity, such as a member or meetinghouse belonging to a ward. Generally, this is more appropriate than "part of" when the two entities have different top-level entity types (building and congregation).

is part of entity (part of)

States that this entity forms a portion of another entity, such as a ward being part of a stake. Generally, this is more appropriate than "belongs to" when the two entities have the same top-level entity type (ward-congregation and stake-congregation).

was created from entity (created from)

States that when this entity was first created, it was divided off an existing entity, such as the 4th Ward being split off the 2nd Ward.

was merged into entity (successor)

States that when this entity died, it was folded into a surviving entity (which may or may not have already existed), such as the 4th Ward being merged into the 2nd Ward.

is an incarnation of entity (incarnation of)

The entity in the value column has had multiple incarnations or lifespans, of which this entity was one. That is, it was created, ended, then created again at least once.

has boundary feature (boundary)

The entity in the value column is a geographic feature (road, river, city limit, etc.) that at some point formed part of the boundary of this entity.

described in source document (see also)

An document artifact that describes, or at least mentions, this entity. There are three options, depending on the datatype you use:

entity #: pointing to an artifact entity in the MormonPlaces database (e.g. 800117 is the Deseret News). Typically, you will need to add a fragment qualifier to point to a specific portion of the artifact, such as a volume or page number. This is the preferred and default type, because the computer can do more with it.
URI: a website containing the document
text: a full source citation (in good bibliographic style)

has tag (tag)

A keyword to place this entity into a group of similar entities, such as a region or time period.

has general confidence (confidence)

A number between 0 and 1 representing the general reliability of the asserted information about this entity. A high number (0.8-1) means that there are many sources and that we have researched it; a very low number (0-0.2) might mean that we have only seen one brief mention of this entity with very little corroborating evidence.

research note (notes)

A comment about the information asserted about this entity, such as interpretations of sources and uncertainties. This is not a general public description, but research information that will be useful to other scholars.