Talk:Marion Russell Smith

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Ok to move to full author name?[edit]

Is it OK to move the page to full author name: Marion Russel Smith? --AtonX (talk) 13:15, 4 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@AtonX: Yes, and that would be standard procedure since Wikispecies policy is to always list the author's under their full name, when we know it. However bear in mind that "Russell" is spelled with two "L" and that it looks like "Russell" is not one of his given names! I think that "Marion" is his only given name, and that "Russell Smith" is a compound surname. I've added the dates of his birth and death to Wikidata, together with information about where he was born and died. You can find the new data here: Q22113116. I've also added references to that information. If you click any of the "Reference URL" links there (near the dates or places of birth/death) you will see that his father's name was "James Dawson" and that his mother's name was "Celema Russell Smith". Now, "Russell" can be both a family name (Q1158262) and a male given name (Q14816494) but it's not given to women as their forename. Hence I think that the "Russell" in his mother's name is part of her family name "Russell Smith", and not a double given name "Celema Russell". This may not sound too important, but we need to know in order for example to get the DEFAULTSORT data right (i.e. "Russell Smith, Marion" or "Smith, Marion Russell".)
–Kind regards, Tommy Kronkvist (talk), 14:40, 4 July 2021 (UTC).[reply]
I've added a note at the Village Pump in order to attract more Wikispecians to this issue. It can be found here: "Marion Russell Smith" or "Marion Russell Smith"..?
Tommy Kronkvist (talk), 16:00, 4 July 2021 (UTC).[reply]
Reading up on maiden names, there might be other possibilities: Russell might have been the mother's own maiden name used as a middle name (if she had been married before?), and/or Marion himself was given his mother's maiden name as a middle name? What does throw me off though is that the father's surname appears to be neither Smith nor Russell, but maybe Marion just decided to use his mother's surname. In any case, the obituary consistently uses just "Dr. Smith", and one of his children is a "David H. Smith" with no "Russell" attached seemingly. I'd just sort by Smith in this case, personally. Monster Iestyn (talk) 17:06, 4 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Just realised it's also possible the obituary might have been giving just the given names for the father to avoid repetition of the surname, since his mother's name was given in the same sentence. In other words the father's name in full being actually "James Dawson Smith". Monster Iestyn (talk) 17:15, 4 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]
In the literature, he is consistently cited (and catalogued) as Smith, Smith, M.R., or Smith, Marion R. (e.g.Smithsonian Institution Archives, Library of Congress), which could support DEFAULTSORT by surname Smith. --AtonX (talk) 18:01, 4 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]

───────────────────────── Yes @AtonX, and I think @Monster Iestyn is right as well. Marion Russell Smith (1894–1981) was a Presbyterian born in Pendleton, South Carolina, and there is a husband and wife James Dawson Smith (1870–1945) and Celena Jane Smith (nee Russell, 1872–1928) buried in the Pendleton Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Most likely his parents. Hence we stick with {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Marion Russell}} Thanks for the help, both of you! –Tommy Kronkvist (talk), 18:18, 4 July 2021 (UTC).[reply]

I've added Russell as his second given name in the corresponding Wikidata item too. –Tommy Kronkvist (talk), 18:23, 4 July 2021 (UTC).[reply]
I've used JWB to change the links on all 44 pages who used to link to the earlier "Marion R. Smith" page. Now there are no old redirect- or double-redirect links left (with the exception of the short mention of this issue on the Village Pump, and on a few log pages.) Tommy Kronkvist (talk), 18:51, 4 July 2021 (UTC).[reply]
For the record Antwiki use "Smith" and has a big list of publications from that author. Christian Ferrer (talk) 19:11, 4 July 2021 (UTC)[reply]