Author Topic: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?  (Read 86865 times)

Offline Beeonthebay

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The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« on: Wednesday 23 March 16 20:07 GMT (UK) »
Now admittedly the person who wrote out the 1911 census had a strange way with their letters, especially the letter H.  But if you look at the whole page you will see the word House with their weird way of writing H.  So why didn't the transcriber look at the whole page?  I don't know if it's true but I've read somewhere that Ancestry transcribers have a dictionary and transcribe letter by letter what they see which of course you are supposed to do, but doesn't common sense come into play?

Hector R. Williams transcribed as Teelos K Williams, that took some finding I can tell you!!  ::) :o ;D
Williams, Owens, Pritchard, Povall, Banks, Brown.

Offline ScouseBoy

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 23 March 16 20:18 GMT (UK) »
One day soon they will get computers to perform transcribing.  They will probably be more accurate than human transcribers.
Nursall   ~    Buckinghamshire
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Offline Rainbow Quartz

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #2 on: Wednesday 23 March 16 22:02 GMT (UK) »
I appreciate that transcribers have to write down what they see, and that some handwriting is VERY difficult to read, but I've had two bad ones, Harrisa instead of Louisa on a census return, and I was so thrilled at such an unusual name and how easy it would be to trace her, it only took several weeks to sort out (and when I finally saw the original it was so obviously Louisa); and worse still, Henry instead of Frances, so it took about a year and quite a bit of help from Rootschatters to find a burial record ::)
Jewell - Devon, Cornwall and Manchester
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Rowe - Devon, Dorset
Oliver - Somerset

Offline BumbleB

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 23 March 16 22:44 GMT (UK) »
Aw come on!!!  Looking at the page I would never, in a million years, have seen the name Hector!

Transcriptions and NBI are merely finding aids.  They are NOT a substitute for original record entries.
Remember - "They'll be found when they want to be found" !!!
If you don't ask the question, you won't get an answer.
He/she who never made a mistake, never made anything.
Archbell - anywhere, any date
Kendall - WRY
Milner - WRY
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Offline Andrew Tarr

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 23 March 16 23:04 GMT (UK) »
One day soon they will get computers to perform transcribing.  They will probably be more accurate than human transcribers.

They've been trying for a long time with OCR, and that can only handle printed characters with any reasonable hope of success.  Attempts at blurry Victorian newspapers are a joke sometimes, so I don't share your optimism - yet.
Tarr, Tydeman, Liversidge, Bartlett, Young

Offline Andrew Tarr

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 23 March 16 23:05 GMT (UK) »
Aw come on!!!  Looking at the page I would never, in a million years, have seen the name Hector!

It wouldn't take me that long, BumbleB.  The H is certainly strange, but the rest of it looks pretty suggestive to me  ;)
Tarr, Tydeman, Liversidge, Bartlett, Young

Offline BettyofKent

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 23 March 16 23:08 GMT (UK) »
Jemima Crumpler transcribed as Fanina Oompler.
KENT:
Stutely - Wittersham & Stone
Padgham - Wittersham
Wanstall - Northbourne
Taylor - Ringwould & Ash
Skinner - Deal
Bushell - Walmer
Spain - Walmer
Also
Schloss - Poland, Nottingham, Massachusetts & New Zealand.
Cohen - Birmingham

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Offline Beeonthebay

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 24 March 16 07:23 GMT (UK) »
Aw come on!!!  Looking at the page I would never, in a million years, have seen the name Hector!

Neither did I until I figured out the first letter was H (as in Milk House occupation) not T.........which made me think that the transcribers *are* only looking letter by letter and not at the whole page.
Williams, Owens, Pritchard, Povall, Banks, Brown.

Offline jaybelnz

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 24 March 16 07:42 GMT (UK) »
Banfree for Winifred! 

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