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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Top-of-the-hill on Wednesday 18 January 23 20:50 GMT (UK)

Title: Odd transcription 1939 register
Post by: Top-of-the-hill on Wednesday 18 January 23 20:50 GMT (UK)
   I have been looking at an entry in the register on behalf of a neighbour, and am a little puzzled by the transcript.
   The woman in question, 54 and mother of a grown-up family is listed in the register, unusually, as "Housewife". Her daughter and daughter-in-law have the more usual "unpaid domestic duties". I thought this was interesting - did she insist on her title?
   Having looked back at the transcript, I find it says not "housewife" but "domestic duties". (Not unpaid domestic duties.) This seems like a breach of the rule of transcription - write what you see?
Title: Re: Odd transcription 1939 register
Post by: Girl Guide on Wednesday 18 January 23 23:20 GMT (UK)
Hmm, interesting.  I popped in a family surname, entered housewife as occupation and had 24 hits.  Checked a few images, some do include domestic duties or domestic duties unpaid.  There was one who just had housewife incapacitated.

Some on a page I looked at had House Duties or Household duties. It could be that the ladies in question wished to be referred to as Housewife rather than the domestic duties version.

Your guess is as good as mine as to why the variations in the ladies occupations of house wife or similar.

Title: Re: Odd transcription 1939 register
Post by: Top-of-the-hill on Thursday 19 January 23 10:59 GMT (UK)
 I suspect this lady insisted she was a housewife! But surely the transcript should say the same thing?
Title: Re: Odd transcription 1939 register
Post by: Girl Guide on Thursday 19 January 23 11:19 GMT (UK)
I double checked some of the ones that I looked at by viewing the images as well as the transcriptions.  They were all correct, nothing different between the two records.

I was somewhat amused by finding a male occupation given as Lorry Wife (unpaid Dom) on the transcription but the image said Lorry Drivers Mate.  Goodness knows how the transcriber managed to do that  ::)
Title: Re: Odd transcription 1939 register
Post by: ReadyDale on Thursday 19 January 23 15:00 GMT (UK)
I double checked some of the ones that I looked at by viewing the images as well as the transcriptions.  They were all correct, nothing different between the two records.

I was somewhat amused by finding a male occupation given as Lorry Wife (unpaid Dom) on the transcription but the image said Lorry Drivers Mate.  Goodness knows how the transcriber managed to do that  ::)
Probably done overseas, using Google Translate  ;D
Title: Re: Odd transcription 1939 register
Post by: Peckroot on Thursday 19 January 23 16:39 GMT (UK)
You could start a new thread entitled Hilarious Transcriptions !
Title: Re: Odd transcription 1939 register
Post by: JenB on Thursday 19 January 23 18:04 GMT (UK)
You could start a new thread entitled Hilarious Transcriptions !

Take a look here https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=744631.msg5916498#msg5916498
Title: Re: Odd transcription 1939 register
Post by: Andrew Tarr on Friday 20 January 23 09:52 GMT (UK)
I suspect this lady insisted she was a housewife! But surely the transcript should say the same thing?
Yes. I think it should.  But if the lady in question was at home, but with staff who carried out any 'duties', perhaps Housewife was the most accurate description ?
Title: Re: Odd transcription 1939 register
Post by: Top-of-the-hill on Friday 20 January 23 13:39 GMT (UK)
  Her only staff were her daughter and d in law! She was the wife of an estate woodman.