Genealogy Chat

Dedicated to everyone who can't find an ancestor in censuses or other records: I have just found 'Henry Dawes' transcribed as 'Mary Dancer' on the 1871 census transcription on a certain well-known site <ahem>. I know seasoned searchers will know this, but newbies please, please, please go back to the original whenever possible. Indexes have transformed family history research, but refer to the original whenever you can!

Well, I cannot IMAGINE what site you are refering to?? I see dear Mary is a stepSON too!!! Marvellous stuff! Yes, as you say, it's really important to see the original info. Of course original info can have mistakes, but nothing compared to what the transcribers can sometimes make of it! Merry

Merry, It was the fact that Mary was referred to as a stepSON which alerted me to the error and I looked at the original. This is only a side branch, so I've never really been looking for this particular person, but I sympathise with anybody who is! On the particular site I'm referring to <cough cough> nearly half of the surnames have been transcribed incorrectly (usually PICKNELL or PICKNATT). I'm lucky because it's an unusual surname (PICKNETT) and most were born in a relatively small town. I already had most of the information, so I've only used the site to confirm information. I have also found people who allegedly had the surname I was searching, but when I looked at the originals, they were obviously transcription errors. Sue

Just for fun, also on the 1871 census I searched for all people listed as stepson and first name Mary - there were 27 occurrences! There are also 29 William's recorded as stepdaughter!! Merry

Oh dear, Merry! I could understand it if it was a name like Francis/Frances, which people always got wrong, but Mary....! ?!? The mind boggles! Who did the transcriptions? Just as a follow up...I have just found the said 'Henry Dawes' on the 1881 census. He gave his birthplace as Redcar. He seems to have spent most of his life there, but according to the 1871 census, he4 was born in Northallerton. Thank goodness he's only the grandson of one of my direct ancestors, but I just feel sorry for anybody who is actually searching for him as an ancestor.

I found a son called Jane who was really James. You'd think the transcriber would know Jane is a girls' name! One of the biggest pains though is if the capital letter is wrong - and the Victorians seemed to delight in making it as florid and illegible as possible, - you are really stuck. I had the greatest difficulty, on the census returns and on certificates, in finding out what my husband's Jewish gtgt grandfather was called. His surname, Hart, was OK, but his first name was Zusman on birth cert Zuesman on marriage cert Zuseman on his daughter's birth cert and on censuses, he's been mistranscribed as Juseman Luzman Gusman Luisman !!!!! nell

I have a photocopy of the 1841 census for Launton, Oxfordshire. I had to read it through about half a dozen times and each time I realised what more and more names actually were because I was becoming used to the handwriting. I don't believe it is humanly possible to get it right first time, and I wonder how much time was taken by the Transcribers.

Don't forget to use transcription error facility. If I find a mistake I always report it. That company (LOL) then add the alternative name so that if you go back and search, you should find the person without remembering their nom de plume! ;) Cheers, Lynn