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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: BettyofKent on Thursday 15 February 07 19:46 GMT (UK)
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Ancestry mistrancriptions!
I'm researching the Stutely family, also spelt Stutley or Stuteley.
I don't mind that, it's what Ancestry does with it that is driving me mad.
So far I've had -
Stontly (Julius Stutely became Lulias Stontly) Stately, Stubley (Julius became Julia), Stitely, Stuley, Steely (Eleanor Stutely became Eleascos Steely) & Stectly.
Someone else is also having trouble, as I've seen corrections for Stutchy & Stuteby.
This week I've spent hours looking for Julia Stutely. I couldn't find any trace of her, until I thought of looking on findmypast.com. I found what seemed to be her, & someone with a subscription very kindly gave me the details & it was the right person. Using the piece/folio numbers I decided to see what Ancestry had done with her.
Julia Stutely had turned into Julia SLUTSKY!!!
I give up.
>:( >:( >:( >:(
Betty
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Betty
You rant away!! I'm with you.
I have a Samuel Traies in my tree, I could only find the 1841 and 1881 census for him, his daughter I found 1 census return for.
Some weeks ago someone suggest I try looking under Fraise as Fs and Ts get mixed up. I found 2 census returns under Fraise and 1 under Praies.
Unbelievable and I told Ancestry so, if you compare the letters with other Ts on the same page it is absolutely simple!!!!! ::) ::) ::) ::)
Kerry
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Hi Kerry
I didn't think I would be the only one with this problem ;D
The daft thing is, Ancestry give tips on reading old handwriting styles.
It should be required reading for the transcribers!
There really is no excuse for such sloppy work.
Betty
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betty i did a lookup for glen yesterday Name Westlake was transcribed as kresleke! ???
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The best one I've had, & it will take some beating, was Jemima Crumpler down as Fanina Oompler ;D ;D ;D
Betty
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Hubberston suddenly became Hobberaam....
Please, I know it's in Wales...but....
I gave up.
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Julia Stutely had turned into Julia SLUTSKY!!!
Betty
Julia SLUTsky! that wasn't very polite of them, Betty. Even if it had been true! ;D ;D
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;D ;D sorry betty but fanina oompla! this could end up being a thread for the funniest mis transcriptions!
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A thread for the funniest mistranscription isn't a bad idea madammagician. Fanina Oompler will take some beating ;D ;D ;D
Betty
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A thread for the funniest mistranscription isn't a bad idea madammagician. Fanina Oompler will take some beating ;D ;D ;D
Betty
Was her job listed in the census as being an exotic dancer?!! ;D ;D ;D
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I give up.
Yeah, I did that too this morning when I came across an Alfred Twyman on 1891 (who was actually a Finnis from THE NEXT HOUSE IN THE STREET, rather than that household). They'd connected the wife in the next house (the head was AWOL...probably a fisherman) as James Twyman's wife...despite the fact he already had one in his own house! Someone at Ancestry is clearly incapable of:
a) Reading an address.
b) Working out that bigamy is illegal.
::)
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Betty, I couldn't agree more. The worst is when you actually look at the census, and it is quite obvious what the name is. >:( My poor gg grandfather is on 7 census and only transcribed correctly once. I searched years for him.
Kath
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I have been know to rant on about Ancestry as well, but I really don't think it is so much worse than some of the others ( but I do have a Daniel Farmilo who turned into David Sannell - found by Arranroots :) ). Sometimes I think the enumerators have much to answer for & searching the records on ScotlandsPeople I seem to have to use alot of * to find the required entries.
I would really like it if the search modules could use the name features used by the LDS on their data base - e.g. search for Elizabeth and get all the possible variations - Betty, liz, lisa etc. They do similar with surnames & this helps immensely in the searching.
Trish
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Sometimes I try looking for a person on ancestry without putting anything in the surname - just using their first name and place of birth but it's only really helpful for those born in villages. I found someone through this method whose surname was Sunderland but was mistranscribed as Fanderland!
Andrew
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You just need to be inventive, even using just the first name does not always work. So try the first three or four letters of the name and *
I found an Elizabeth under Elish ??? on the image it is plainly Eliz'th
Suey
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I had Lillystones that turned into Sillystones!
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I found one on Ancestry that had 3 question marks in lieu of the first three letters of the surname. It took me a while to track that one down. I only found it with the first name and the name of the town.
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I often do that too Shelly, and I have been able to turn up many relatives. Doesn't work so much in the big cities when the relative is Mary or some such ;D ;D, but it's sometimes all we've got.
Kath
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I have Bell trancrsibed as Bull, Ball, Balles, Beales, Well, Hell, Nell, Gell etc. Do I need to go on? The worst I have seen is Bright transcribed as White and Broit. Maybe the transcribers' regional accent comes into play here? A Londoner may say Bright but someone with a Jordie accent would pronounce it Broyit. ( as in Boy It, but with an R.)
Pennine
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Just this week on Ancestry I have found that my Alexandrina DUNBAR had turned into a SWAN ::) ::)
Havn't quite fathomed how they did that yet.......
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Have just remembered another of mine - Zachariah Tricker - he turned up as Bracknard Triack ::) ::)
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I know I'm always ready to knock Ancestry and their transcriptions, but I've got to admit it's not always their fault.
I have Mary Ann in Portsmouth, married as Byles, on her daughter's birth certificate as formerly Bayles, and baptised as Boyles. I suppose a lot depends on how the person said the name, and how the person writing it down was used to spelling it.
This is very clear in the case of Mary Ann's grandson, born in Portsea as Walter Harmsworth Moore.
Married in Reading as Walter Harmsworth Moore, because he knew how to spell his own name, but his death reported by his brother in law who was so obviously a Reading man with the infamous Reading accent who gave the name Walter 'Armsworth Moore. I had to smile at that one. :)
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http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=6807.0
Hello, if you log on to the above url, you will see a photo of a monument to the Stutely family in Sheerness.
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Hello richdean, welcome to RootsChat :)
Thank you for that link, I'll keep a note of it. I haven't found any of my Stutelys in Sheerness yet, but it's quiet possible I will.
I now have 30 variations of Stutely courtesy of Ancestry mistranscriptions ;D
Betty
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I think I've told this forum before about my Amy Buckle who was transcribed as KING BACKLE.
It was a page trawl that turned her up, not a search through the transcriptions...... ;)