RootsChat.Com
General => The Common Room => Topic started by: DudleyWinchurch on Monday 08 February 10 23:35 GMT (UK)
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If anyone is missing a Thomas from the Ancestry death index, they might find it worthwhile looking under THOAMS ???
I was searching for a Thomas Wilson, using Tho* and was astonished to find that there are 60 listings for Thoams Wilson. I checked one image and it was Thomas on the image. I haven't time to check them all.
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Or even Thamas.
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Or even Thamas.
Yes, but there's only 14 of them compared with the massive 5,500 Thoams.
That's an awful lot of people missing from their proper place in the index.
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I'm beginning to think half these transcribers like a tipple. ;D
I do appreciate it's a difficult job, some of the handwriting is illegible etc, I just wish if they're going to make a guess, the'd make a sensible one. Some of them aren't even close.
One of my lot was completely mistranscribed as a Punsen Carwick (even with the *wildcards it was pure fluke I ever came across that one!).
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There are plenty of JOSPEH's too...rather than Joseph ;D
Oh and 11,832 GEROGE's :o :o :o and that's only in the death indexes from 1916-2005.
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Wow,
It looks like we just found over 20,000 previously hidden entries on Ancestry BMDs, just in the post-1916 death index. ;D
Initially, just meant as a comment but I'm wondering if it would be useful for the mods to move this thread to (Census?) Resources or Technical and sticky it, so that people can add other common mistranscriptions.
Not sure if there is a proper place for BMD resource comments, but I'm sure that the mods can find it if there is. ???
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That is really useful to know.
Of course Tho* and Jos* will pick up those mistranscriptions mentioned but I never would have thought to try Ger* or Thamas rather than Geo* or Tho* ... :-\
I think it would be good to have a mistranscriptions sticky.
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I agree. I've corrected plenty of mistranscriptions myself and I still have several missing census's for people, even though I know they were there, somewhere.
Also, it takes a while to get the hang of wildcard searches, and for newbies it can be a bit daunting. A few tips from the more experienced researchers here might be helpful for them - and the rest of us ;)
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I have seen loads of Geroge's and that.
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I am missing a Thomas on the 1911 census, I shall give those names a go in a while when its all quiet here.
Thanks for the tip.
Regards
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Has anyone any variations on Richard, other than Richd?
I am missing deaths of two Richard Fishers, one between 1841 and 1851, and the other between 1851 and 1861.
Kooky
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Sounds mad, but given what I said before about Punsen Cawick (who the hell calls their kid Punsen?) I'd try non names, like Bichard, or Kickard, *ichard, Fichard, or even with no first name, and just Fisher in the surname box and his year and rough place of birth. Or try his surname, rough year of birth, and his occupation.
I'd vary Fisher too, in the same way - who knows what the indexer thought it said - Tisher? Eisher? Asher? I've even come across some transcriptions which just miss out letters they can't read and say something like --sher???
Minefield. :o
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Thank you Ann. Lots to think about there!
Could I adopt the same approach in FreeBMD ?
Kooky
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Probably. Not sure about using * or ? and such like on those (don't think they have wildcard software). But you can certainly mess about with name spellings and such like. After all, they all use transcribers, who all suffer from the same problem - no, not alcohol miduse or poor eyesight! Illegible handwriting. ::)
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Kooky I really don't think you need to vary it much on Free BMD.
They have been copied from the actual GRO indexes,and whilst a few errors creep in,there aren't too many.
When you can't find someone you expect tio be there,surely it's best to try every version of their name however daft it may seem to try and find them.
Our main beef is with the stupid transcriptions that have been done on Ancestry.
When it so clearly says Thomas/George/Joseph etc etc.
And they have transcribed them as Thoams/Geroge/Jospeh......in their thousands ::)
Carol
PS there must be others too,on the girls side like Elziabeth etc etc
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I agree. I have seen an Elizabeth transcribed as Eliza. (with a dot after it) even though it is written clearly as Elizabeth on the document.
I have also seen Johns written as Jnoh and such like. Quite frustrating.
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Surely though Ancestry have just used the FreeBMD transcription. All mistakes on Ancestry are there on FreeBMD as well because they transcribed it originally.
I wonder where the best place is to correct the errors. FreeBMD is still not 100% complete, even pre-1916. Do Ancestry update with the latest FreeBMD transcription every month?
Perhaps contacting FreeBMD pointing out all their mistakes on common names might be in order. Then Ancestry will correct with their next update from FreeBMD.
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Ancestry used Free BMD for the indexes 1837- 1915,the newer ones 1916-2005 were scanned and number and letter recognition was used as well as transcriptions.
Hence you not being able to find some of the partners to a marriage cos it's been read wrongly by a machine! Example Horton/Morton/Norton all look the same in some cases when it's from some of the typed GRO indexes.
Carol
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http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,436297.0.html
The above post indicates just how bad things are!
I can't even believe those companies who produce census records on CD.
Brian
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... Could I adopt the same approach in FreeBMD ?
Yes, FreeBMD does allow wildcard characters in their search.
See: http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/search-help.shtml
Using a wildcard does slow FreeBMD's search down quite significantly and it will often return a 'too busy' message, especially now because they are having a problem with one of their servers.
K.
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One of mine on Freebmd was transcribed as Nulih - should have been Philip ! I have left a Postem with correction.
Tilly
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That made me laugh Tilly,and reminded me of a Fred in my tree who had been mistranscribed on An****y as FROG ::)
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Some mistranscriptions are amusing.