New millennium just another dating problem

By MYRA VANDERPOOL GORMLEY

Los Angeles Times Syndicate

Arequent problem for genealogists is a dating one. Not relationship-type dates, but those pertaining to calendars and dates. The new millennium is just one more of these problems.

Family historians eventually run into the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. There are approximately 365 1/4 days in the year, and all calendars devised have had to cope with this lack of synchronism between the day and the year. The Julian calendar was devised and was in use throughout Christendom in the Middle Ages. It too, was based on a 365-day year, but every fourth year, an extra day --- Feb. 29 --- was added and the familiar leap year was invented.

However, a year is actually more like 365.2422 days long and this small difference built up over the centuries and by the 16th century the year was 10 days out of synchronism. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII enacted a new calendar (called the Gregorian Calendar). In it 10 days were omitted and the last years of centuries (1600, 1700, etc.) were made to be Leap Years, if their first two digits were divisible by four. That meant 1600 and 2000 are leap years, but 1500, 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not.

In 1582, Europe was divided into Catholic and non-Catholic states and while Catholic states generally adopted the Gregorian calendar quickly, Protestant states like England did not. Finally in 1752, Britain and its colonies converted to the Gregorian calendar. By that time the Julian calendar was 11 days out of synchronism. The change in Britain and its colonies was made by omitting the days 3-13 September 1752 inclusive.

In England from the 14th century until 1752 for most legal and ecclesiastical purposes for which the regnal year was not used, the year began on March 25. After 1752, when the Julian calendar was superseded by the Gregorian calendar, which most of Europe had adopted much earlier, dates between January 1 and March 25 are often are listed as O.S. (Old Style) and N.S. (New Style) or double-dated.

Also in British research you will also encounter regnal years. Many legal documents and Acts of Parliament were so dated. The Regnal Year starts with the date of the accession of each British sovereign. James I came to the throne on March 24, 1603, and the regnal year 1 (one) James I runs from March 24, 1603 (actually 1602 Old Style) to March 23, 1604. The date of July 25, 1603 will be recorded as "25 July 1 James I." A table of British Regnal Years can be found in the fifth edition of Black's Law Dictionary.

Another tricky problem for genealogists is the Republican Calendar used from Nov. 24, 1793, until Dec. 31, 1805, in France, its possessions and conquests, which included large portions of Europe. The year was divided into 12 months: Vendemiaire (vintage month); Brumaire (fog); Frimaire (sleet); Nivose (snow); Pluviose (rain); Ventose (wind); Germinal (sprouts); Floreal (flowers); Prairial (pasture); Messidor (harvest); Fervidor or Thermidor (hot) and Fructidor (fruit). Vendemiaire ran from Sept. 22 to Oct. 21.

Watch those calendars, and happy new year.

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