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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: cathyaus on Thursday 16 December 10 03:56 GMT (UK)

Title: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: cathyaus on Thursday 16 December 10 03:56 GMT (UK)
I came across this today while I was doing indexing for Familysearch .org - The record that was being transcribed was Baptisms from 1892 with the first column being date born. Second column being date christened. Third column being the child's name. Fourth column being the parent's christian names. Fifth column being the surname.



We have to index/ transcribe as it is but just wanted to let people know that it is not always the indexers fault if there is a blatant error - or else the wife's name is Charles or else it's one of the first gay marriages recorded .......  :D

Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: kiwihalfpint on Thursday 16 December 10 06:06 GMT (UK)
Thomas must have been found under a bush then :P

You are right though, it's not the indexer/transcribers fault what they are typing ..... and it wasn't our job to correct the entry.


Cheers
KHP
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: Wiggy on Thursday 16 December 10 06:11 GMT (UK)
I've heard of wives named Arthur and Smith!   Makes you wonder about the naming doesn't it.
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: Eyesee on Thursday 16 December 10 06:27 GMT (UK)
FYI

George BEADSWORTH married Charlotte POTT in Mar qtr 1885, Manchester. They were in Newton, Lancashire in 1891. A previous son Thomas Eli was born 1889 and died Jun 1891.

Ian C
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: cathyaus on Thursday 16 December 10 07:03 GMT (UK)
Thanks Ian for the information.

The point I was making is that everyone jumps to the conclusion that information that appears to be wrong is the fault of the transcriber. It is not our job (as a transcriber as kiwi pointed out)to go searching through other records to find the correct information but rather to transcibe exactly what is written.

I thought that it would be a funny item for others to see that mistakes are made not only by the transcribers.
 
Thomas must have been found under a bush then
Didn't think about that part Kiwi - good point  ;D

Wiggy - I will have to keep an eye out for wives named Arthur & Smith ! This is the first strange one I have come across.

Cathy
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: BumbleB on Thursday 16 December 10 08:07 GMT (UK)
And it works the other way round.  My great grandfather's forename was Allison  ;D  He had a cousin called Allison, and his wife's brother was another Allison, as was her cousin.  And when you think about it, from old naming patterns etc then Al(l)ison is naturally a male name - son of Alice.  :D

BumbleB
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: SteveAlex on Thursday 16 December 10 14:26 GMT (UK)
The trouble is that not only do we have transcription errors but we have to understand that our ancestors were not always literate and often mis spelled and changed their own names.  On top of that they appear to sign important documents with their current version of their name.  My great grandfather born Albert William known as Billie appears in some census records as William and his death is recorded as William Albert.   All just helps to confuse me!
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: Gaille on Friday 17 December 10 01:03 GMT (UK)


I just read this & the next thread on the beta site........... went to look up my gt-aunt Anniie Evans's burial in 1903 in Newton heath on the beta site - n 2 entries above it is Charlottes burial record!
Wierd!

Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: Redroger on Friday 17 December 10 15:46 GMT (UK)
Suggest Charlotte for the mother's name, as I don't think a gay engine driver would have lasted long in 1992, yet alone 1892. Regarding gay marriages I found an apparent one in the Cromwellian period. Don't think Oliver and his Puritans would tolerate that though!
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: meles on Friday 17 December 10 15:54 GMT (UK)
I don't think a gay engine driver would have lasted long in 1992, yet alone 1892.

I am delighted to say you are wrong. A good friend of mine, a gay engine driver, has been living with his guard partner since 1989!

meles
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: Redroger on Friday 17 December 10 15:59 GMT (UK)
Genuinely pleased to hear that, the depots I worked at mainly in the North and Midlands were extremely macho even in the 1990s.
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: Just Kia on Monday 03 January 11 20:00 GMT (UK)
The point I was making is that everyone jumps to the conclusion that information that appears to be wrong is the fault of the transcriber. It is not our job (as a transcriber as kiwi pointed out)to go searching through other records to find the correct information but rather to transcibe exactly what is written.
No, not everyone. Usually the complaints come when the transcription is clearly different to the original, not when the original is just plain "different".
Although, I wouldn't have much concern about a wife called Charles because as has already been said the wife was Charlotte.
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: amazon510 on Monday 03 January 11 20:10 GMT (UK)
Of course, then there is the case of my mother-in-law whose middle name was Joseph.  Apparently the godparents forgot what the middle name was supposed to be (local tradition was that the parents did not attend the baptism) so the priest picked a name, apparently at random.   ::)

J.
Title: Re: Not always the indexer's fault - or earliest Gay Marriage ?
Post by: Redroger on Monday 03 January 11 20:12 GMT (UK)
My mother was known as Jim all her life; real name Emily.