Genealogy Chat

I have found an Ancester called Hoolahan in numerous records (sometimes handwritten and sometimes transcribed) as:-

Hoolahan, Hoolihan, Hoolikan, Hoolachan, Hoolaghan, Hooligan, Houlohen, Hollohen, Holligan, Hollaghan, and even......Soolhun.

Fortunately, from other information, I was able to establish it was the same person in each case.

A mystery of more than 17 years was solved this week by sending for copies of entries in original marriage registers.
The GRO information had been mistranscribed between original and master copy, so that the groom at a 1883 wedding did not sign as Thomas,as shown on GRO copy bought in 1996. He clearly signed James.

His signature matched that on a marriage entry of 1871, so now 2 branches of the family can be linked though their father.

Gwyn

Nudging

nudge

Try this then on Ancestry (correct is Freckingham)

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?gl=ROOT_CATEGORY&rank=1&new=1&so=1&MSAV=1&msT=1&gss=ms_f-2_s&gsln=fuckingham&cpxt=1&catBucket=rstp&uidh=3c3&_83004003-n_xcl=m&cp=11

Unfortunately the GRO index records themselves are full of errors. FreeBMD will update transcription errors but not in the original record.

I remember on one census my family of Kay was down as Hay.

On free BMD my grandfather is down as George John Curtis, his real name is George Foster Curtis (how can they get this so wrong?) on one census he's down as George Sorter Curtois, (Specsavers come to mind)!

I agree always look at the orginal, my surname Burrows has been transcribe or documented as Burrowes, Burroughs and Burrow.i Had one today Shorten transcribed as Shorton. even check the First Name as i had them transcribe wrong the Name was edmund transcribe as edward

A lot of people who have " my family" on their trees have a member called Wasco. If any of them had bothered to look properly and not just copy blindly ( from most likely each other) would have found out he was actually named Orlando. I didn't think that my gt gt grand parents would have been that off the wall with their naming, his brother is mistranscribed as well. M

I came across a great mis-transcription on Ancestry today - a 17 year old whose occupation was 'assistant to French police'. Blimey, I thought. He sadly was assistant to a French polisher ...
Jan

Ah yes, thoughts come flooding back to me of the years I spent searching for my great granny Elizabeth Whittlesey born in East Molesey........she was transcribed as Elbach Chillberg born in Eat Mallory!
On a previous census her sister had been tagged along with the next door neighbours and given the surname Wells!!

You gotta check it out, check it out, and check it out again - as they say :-)

Karen

:-D :-D :-D

Too true, I looked for ages for my grandparents. I knew where they were living at the time of the 1901 census, but no luck. I very kind person on here found them for me.....the name should have been Maudesley..it had been transcribed as Morderley...... On looking at the image on line, to me it said Maudesley, but then I understand that the name being unusual in London (it is a Lancashire name) it had not been encountered before.

One good thing about Ancestry is that you can have several alternatives, so they will accept corrections/variations which do not match what is written on the original, while still keeping the other transcription in place. Unfortunately you can't do this for 1911. My grandmother's name looks like Elmney on the original so it has to stay that way (it's actually Emily!).
Jan

I always submit corrections to census transcriptions on FMP when I find them - some census years are worse than others. I have also submitted a few for FreeBMD - although the process there is a bit of a pain. I have even added a postem on FreeBMD where the index itself had the father's first name in place of the child's first name. Took me a while to sort that one out - trying to figure out when this child had changed their name etc - but buying the birth certificate proved that it was the index that was wrong all along and my name change theory could be discounted.

Mark.

Mistakes can be made by word of mouth too.

Hubby's grandad was known by all his close kin as Isaac. We were in the cemetery looking for his grave one day and bumped into another of his grandchildren. We asked her where he was,and as she pointed out his grave,I noticed that his name was in fact Israel.

Finally I could find him on the census records after months looking for the wrong name.

In FMP click on 'Report Transcription Error' and follow the instructions. There's also space for you to add comments as to why you think the transcription is wrong.

Interesting this .
I searched for ages fo a relative on census way back only to come across him by accident. Christian Name was Thomas but actually transcribed as James. Looking on the original return and magnifying it to max, you can see th error. I have advised Ancestry and they have since corrected it.
I am now on a mission with another one I can't seem to find!

If it is a transcription on ancestry then it is fairly obvious as there is an Add Alternative Information button to click on. Any changes are usually made within a few days. For freeBMD you click on the info button, the process is a bit long winded, you have follow the rules carefully and it may take a couple of months to be implemented but it is worth it in order to make the database even more accurate. I can't remember how to correct the ordinary census entries.

I did find a mistake in the transcription once but how do I go about asking for a correction to be made?
Jill