Entry and sort of dates prior to year 1900

Excel appears to accomodate date cell for years after 1900. Entry of dates prior to 1900 are entered as text. Is there a convenient way to enter and sort on dates refering to years prior to 1900 - say the 1700's?
The only way I have figured out is to enter the dates in text cells using the yyyy/mm/dd format. This will give the correct sorting order. Are thewre other ways than this? Particularly for dd-mmm-yyyy formats wher month is the 3 letter abreviation often used in genealogy.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Joe