Incorrect Census transcriptions on Ancestry

[imison]

Re: Indexes BEWARE!!!!!!!

Just seen this on another part of the CENSUS forum board.  Could this also be linked together please, Carole?

Many thanks

Imison

[imison]

Re: Difficult to interpret ... what to do ??

also could this be linked to the forum too, as it gives more description of difficulties in transcription


[from the 1901 lookups]

[tropicalj]

Hi i am tring a free 14 day trial with ancestery and it has been good and bad

a lot of mistakes in transcribbing and i am at a loss to understand how some of it is so wrong and i am an aussie and dont know england at all but i could read a lot of the forms well
classic was trying to find my ggm sythe brownless
found her on the 1871 cenus with CUMMINS as i knew that was her mothers maiden name
as.........TYTHE KEOWNLEP ye i could read it plainly have had alot of difficulty find relations because of misstranslations
but townsend to townend or towenend etc
shoebridge to  sheebrige i am raving now you cant find a lot in two weeks and i wont be signing up as i am very very dissapointed and will have to look at another
any recommondentations now i cant spell
regards jenn

[wonkiewidge]

Hi,

I was interested to read about the Do/So transcriptions as surnames, and thought I'd add my two pen'th.

There are also names transcribed the wrong way round. Try putting the first name into the surname box and visa versa.

E.g. Instead of George England try England George!!!!

(If any one finds him on the 1871 census age approx 10 born st. pancras by the way I'd be eternally grateful)   

Seriously though, there are an unbelieveable amount of "bad" transcriptions............ and the 1851 seems to be the worst of the lot!


Linda

[Shaztoni]

I totally agree about the 1851 being the worst, about 50% of the names I've looked up on it have been wrong 

Sharon

[stonechat]

I agree with the comments

I too have had reversed named

Archibald Douglas recorded as Douglas Archibald

Alice Holmes was missing from her family in one census
I couldn't fin her anywhere

Then I noticed she was next door but one, transcribed as Ellice Holines

Bob

[Guy Etchells]

It could be that the names were written "the wrong way round" on the enumerator's returns.

The majority of returns are written Forename Surname but sometimes this is changed to Surname Forename even when other schedules in the same district follow the general rule.

Cheers
Guy

[Burrow Digger]

Insert Quote 
Dear Adrian

That is an amazing amount of inaccuracies.
If this happened for Norwich, how many OTHER towns and villages are misrecorded?

I wonder if we, on rootschat, could compile a list of possible alternative names to look for so that we might then look for relatives under the WRONG addresses?

Just a thought

Best wishes

IMISON

How about SOM??  Should be SOMERSET,

Ancestry has transcribed it as .....SOMALIA

It's for ALL the reasons mentioned that I absolutely REFUSE to purchase a subscription  to Ancestry - even though it may delay my finding my ancestors.  I absolutely detest the idea of paying for shoddy work.

Burrow Digger

[imison]

In 1881 there is a census reference to a Coal Hawker, aged 20, living in Stanhope Street Middlesex [London] and his birthplace was ST PANCRAS.

I can find nothing for 1870 but if you have his precise birth certificate it might explain things - maybe he was not yet born on the date or else he was unnamed as a babe in arms.  Just a thought.

Happy New Year

Imison