Genealogy Chat

One of the problems with censuses is that the transcribing was contracted out by e.g. Ancestry to a foreign country ( I believe the 1911 was done in the Phillipines) so the transcribers had little or no knowledge of English geography.

So Essex could easily be made into Sussex and so on.

They always say hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I have lost count of the number of census amendments I have sent to Ancestry over the past year, all mistranscriptions of poor handwriting. In virtually all cases the transcriber had done his or her best and was not at fault. It was only when you knew what the name actually was, with hindsight, that you could see the mistake.

Our wedding certificate was even mistranscribed by the GRO - both our surnames were indexed incorrectly. The main index at the GRO has now been corrected, but you won't find either of us on Ancestry, unless you know what to look for.

I don't envy you looking for Molyneuxs, Alan - I've got some in West Lancs and that area, and I've seen all sorts of versions, "Molinee", "Mullineux", "Mollinay". In fact, just on the Lancs OPC site, if you look at Ormskirk there's probably fifteen variations.

The other thing I've noticed is just how hard microfilm can be on the eyes - I've spent ages sometimes just zooming in, refocussing, zooming in, moving the page around and I've still not been able to work it out.

As ever, I'm always impressed with members input.........thank you.

My OH transcribes for parishes with which he is familiar; therefore, he is able to put the literal transcription plus what he thinks it should be :-)

Victorian l and t - it often helps to point out all the other occasions on the same page that the originator wrote the letter t without crossing it - and to point out that those following that system would be careful not to loop the letter t, whilst making clear loops for the letter l

Hope you can persuade FMP

Oh don't I know! I still haven't decided whether his signature is Snell or Sowell - sometimes it looks like one, other time 'tother.
I have seen a transcription as S------s - looking at it I thought it was Suuuus but he was a rellie of mine so I knew it was Semmons.
Take pity on us please.

I've just become an Online Parish Clerk for Dorset and travel from Hampshire to Dorchester as often as work permits to transcribe records.
I work from the fiche and handwriting and spelling are terrible some times.
You look at an entry but you have to double check it as it can look completely different on a second look.

Further back, the entries are in Latin and that's a whole new ball park!

Absolutely :-)

My OH transcribes parish registers from fiches; he is an online parish clerk for some Cornish parishes.

I totally agree.

Our research would be a lot harder, more time consuming and expensive if we weren't for the great volunteers who do transcribe so that we are able to get as much as we do online. Thank you all so much.

Chris

I used to curse them until I joined them. They are all volunteers like the great helpers on this Site. Their task is to interpret handwriting from over 200 years ago to present day. Handwriting then differs as it does today.
Most of the problems began when the original 'scribe/clerk' asked for details of the Event and wrote down what he thought he heard since the bride, groom or informant could not read or write.
A name on my tree is Molyneux but there are so many variables causing no end of problems probably because someone said "How do you spell it ?"

We make mistakes but please spare a thought or better still come and join us.