Compiled by Joy Ikelman, 2013.
Disclaimers apply.
Julian
vs Gregorian Calendar Dates
Nathan Boone, son of Daniel Boone, once
said in an interview:
“I’ve shown you the family records,
which, in my father’s own handwriting, show his birth to have been October 22,
1734. The date is according to the old calendar, or Old Style, as he and my
mother always expressed their disapproval of adopting the New Style calendar.”
[1]
What was Old Style? What is New Style?
How do these effect genealogy?
The
Julian Calendar
The “Old Style” calendar was the Julian
calendar, which had been introduced by Julius Caesar in about 45 BC. This was
the first, standardized, calendar used around the world to organize societies,
religious celebrations, and commerce. It had 365 days in it, more or less, but
needed to be adjusted occasionally. Not every country used it this calendar;
many cultures had their own. [2] However, the Julian calendar was used in most
of Europe, and in European settlements in the Americas through the mid-1700s.
The
Gregorian Calendar
In 1582, the calendar was “reformed”
under Pope Gregory VIII’s edict. This was the Gregorian calendar. It was what
people called the “New Style.” The goal was to create a more logical placement
of Easter. [3] In the Julian calendar, Easter was tied to the Spring Equinox.
This “pagan” association, along with others, was against Catholic doctrine. Another
example that caused concern was Winter Solstice and Saturnalia combined with
Christmas.
The calendar reformers mathematically corrected
several other vexing errors of the Julian calendar, such as extra days and
inconsistencies. The Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1582 by most Catholic
countries of Europe. [4] It took five Centuries for all countries to adopt the
new calendar, at least for commerce and trade purposes. In September 1752, Britain
and the British Empire (which included the eastern part of the United States)
officially adopted the Gregorian calendar as a result of the British Calendar Act of 1751. [5]
The
Calendars and Genealogical Records
My research on the Wests in New England
has led me to the early records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The records
from the 1600s in Essex County, Massachusetts (including Salem, Beverly, Lynn,
Ipswich, Bradford, etc.) are often oddly dated. [6] As an example, Valentine’s
Day could be recorded in court documents as:
14 Feb 1663-1664
14 Feb 1663, 1664
Febr 14, 63,64 (no space between years)
14 da 12 mo 1663 (this style is often
used in Quaker records)
14: 12: 63 (found in early Salem records
before 1640)
Where did that “12” come from? Isn’t
December the twelfth month of the year?
In the (Old Style) Julian calendar,
February was the last (twelfth) month of the year. March was the first month of
the new year. The etymological origins of September, October, November, and
December were seven, eight, nine, and ten. We still retain the month names but
now these are the last four months of the year. New England would not officially
adopt the (New Style) Gregorian calendar for nearly one hundred years.
Court
Records and Church Records
In court record transcriptions in New
England (1600s), the double-dating most often occurs in the months of January,
February, and March. Church records of the time generally avoided
double-dating. The reasoning for this was partly political. Many churches
refused to give any authority to the Catholic Church. Therefore, they continued
to use the Old Style of dating until they absolutely had to change, which was
in September of 1752.
How
to Place Dates into Your Research
The best advice is to copy the dates
EXACTLY as you see them in the source material. That is, copy the
abbreviations, commas, colons, and whatever else you see. [6] Explain to the
reader a bit about the Old Style/New Style calendars if this needed. If you
must rework a date from Julian to Gregorian for any reason, do it the correct
way, and then inform the reader what you have done. Go to Cyndi’s List (free
service) for conversion calculators. [7]
What do you do if you are entering a
year into a genealogy software program? You will want to use the earlier of the
two year-dates. For example, if the source material says “1663, 1664” use
“1663.” Most programs now have an area for notes. This is where you could
explain the calendar difference.
Conclusion:
George Washington
Here is an example you might recognize. George
Washington was born (under the Julian calendar) on 11 February 1731. Under the
Gregorian calendar, the date is 22 February 1732. Congress moved his birthday
to the “New Style” calendar. [8] This is why we celebrate Washington’s birthday
on February 22, instead of his original birth date of 11 February.
References
1. “My Father, Daniel Boone. The Draper
Interviews with Nathan Boone.” Neil O. Hammon ed; The University Press of Kentucky,
1999.
2. Information derived from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_calendar.
3. Information derived from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar.
4. Ibid.
5. The text of the British Calendar Act of 1751 is found at: http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/year-text-British.html
6. Records
and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts. Volume I
through 9; 1636-1686. These are court records of the Massachusetts Colony.
Preserved by the Essex Institute in Salem.
6. Genealogy
in Time Magazine suggests that you do not use a “slash” such as 14 Feb
1663/64. You should, when possible, write this out as 1663, 1664. http://www.genealogyintime.com/GenealogyResources/Articles/understanding_julian_calendars_and_gregorian_calendars_in_genealogy_page5.html
7. Cyndi’s List calculators are at http://www.cyndislist.com/calendars/calculators-and-converters/
8. National Archives Web site: http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/washington/
