Genealogy Chat

yes,but they get paid for it. Still, wouldn't it be boring if everything just fell into place. If we could find every rellie so easily where would we find that glow of satisfaction, when we find little Jane has been living down the road with her stepmother,s cousin all along!

told you, the transcription is one in Asia, with a large G and T at hand!

I have an ancestor, that was written as being Jennie, instead of Jessie, I asked Freebmd to correct it, which they did..............BUT on ancestry, its still Jennie!! how about that then!! Bob

Pehaps Ancestry has followed BT's example and farmed their work out to cheaper labour areas in the world. Doesn't bear thinking about does it?

Hi all! It is those little (sometimes large) ticks on the census forms that cause most of the trouble. My poor old grandad is listed as being 13 in 1901 when he was only three! Luckily I knew his dob and have his birth cert. but no-one seems willing to change the info on Ancestry. I suppose it only really matters to me , but how would anyone else who may be researching him from a distant line ever find him? Some of the transcriptions are laughable - such as Wrexham being in DEVONSHIRE rather than DENBIGHSHIRE! Basic geography surely? Allie

I can relate to that one. Spent weeks looking for my great grandmother on 1901 census but couldn't find anyone matching her approx year of birth. In desperation, I decided to go into every image and it turns out her age had been wrongly transcribed. They had her a being 76 and living with her sister who was 17. What had happened was that there was a dash by the number one which made it look like the number seven. Common sense would have decreed that a gap of 60 years between sisters really isn't on, not even in those days.

I have found that out! One rellie has recorded three different birthplaces. I wonder how many of us have done that. I always say I was born in Stroud, Glos. In fact I was born in tetbury, Glos as it was the nearest Maternity hospital.

Don't believe what the original says, either! Names, ages, birthplaces,marital status, relationship to head of household, they can all be wrong. nell

Hi Teresa, I agree, always keep your options open, reply on intuition, if it looks right..... might be might not be. Sue

I've only been researching several months, so am fairly new to this. One valuable lesson I have learnt is not to rely on the printed info off the census. Look at the original image. I have spent weeks chasing a rellie I thought was 21 in 1851. In fact she was 2. I have read, War in Hereford instead of Ware in Herts. It really pays to read the original and save a lot of wasted time.