RootsIreland mistranscriptions and errors

[KD146]

I have spent an absolute fortune with RootsIreland on baptisms and marriages that I have no access to anywhere else.  It has been invaluable to me in filling gaps and opening up whole new areas on my enormous and extensive family tree.

However, I found an awful lot of spelling errors, many of which have resulted in hours of searching for an elusive but important record to verify something.  Many other records simply never appeared at all.  I suspect a good few of them are there, but the spelling and date permutations are simply too great to ever find them.

I found many dates out of order too, when paired up with other documents which conflict with the RootsIreland records.  The result of that is that I don't know which dates to use, and can verify nothing.  If the mismatched dates are questionable, then that means every date on any RootsIreland record is questionable too.

Tonight, however, I found the worst yet.  I found a marriage record, which, given the names and location, is most definitely the correct marriage, but the date is 60 years out!  It appears that the year 1872 was mistranscribed as 1812.

That calls into question every single RootsIreland record on my tree.  It seems that at least half of my tree cannot be verified, given the spurious nature of many of the transcriptions.  It feels like half of my tree is simply a load of educated guesswork.

Has anyone else had the same doubts, and how do you reconcile yourself to the vagaries of somebody else's transcriptions?  Misspellings I can live with, and indeed expect.  But dates are sacrosanct.

[eadaoin]

I did most of my tree before RootsIreland existed!

I'm lucky because I can get into Dublin easily, and look at the original Parish Register microfilms in the National Library .. so nowadays I get clues from RootsIreland, which I check-out myself.

eadaoin

(mind you - some of the writing in the Registers is so awful that it's impossible to know what they've written!)

[Justaleafonatree]

I've had terrible experiences on RootsIreland and would NEVER use them again.  http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=663745.msg5092403#msg5092403

I've sent inquiries for explanations of transcription errors and missing information but have NEVER heard back from them despite numerous requests for clarification.  I'm in Canada so there is no way I can ever see what the correct information should be.

A lesson learned.

[Billyblue]

" It seems that at least half of my tree cannot be verified, given the spurious nature of many of the transcriptions.  It feels like half of my tree is simply a load of educated guesswork."

So, it all goes back to the oft repeated advice - you have to check the ORIGINAL to be sure.

       

Dawn M

[collech]

Hi All 
              Just in response to the Transcriptions on Rootsireland, over twenty years ago
              as a teenager i was pulled of the unemployment line and put on a six month
              course transcribing parish records for Dublin North. There was no training and
              the supervisor was only interested in finding out about her neighbours ancestors.
              Out of twelve staff i was the only one who wanted to do it right, as i had experience 
              of trying to read the registers and with an interest in Genealogy. To finish always
              check and check again ,what somebody else has discovered.

[heywood]

I haven't used Rootsireland much - lack of records for my purpose. 
However, some years ago, I transcribed some records for personal use from IGI film and it was such a complex process.
Missing dates, poor handwriting, various spellings all made it very difficult.
I knew most of the surnames because it is a discrete area but I noticed that when the same records were transcribed by someone who wasn't familiar with the place there were several mispellings, asterisks and question marks used.
Presumably, this is what happens at RootsIreland.

[Sinann]

As Collech said the people doing the transcribing for RootsIreland had no training and most had no interest, I remember wanting to do it but I hadn't been unemployed long enough so couldn't.
When you look at all the mistakes in the census by people who were employed to do it ( but to be fair wouldn't be familiar with Irish names) it's amazing how many of RootsIrelands records are correct.

Biggest mistake they made was not getting images of the originals, I suspect this is why Justaleafonatree didn't get a response, the just don't know, no excuse for not answering of course and as each county has a different centre I guess it's a matter of how well the county you need is run or even if they still have staff.

Unless you can go to see the originals I guess we will just have to put up with it and with the pricing structure they have now I always worry about suggesting it.

[anne_p]

My mum was born and raised in Donegal and her own great grandmother played a huge part in her upbringing.
Wanting to know more, I  made my very first Irish record purchase
I obtained the transcribed marriage cert from Rootsireland and obtained her maiden name.
For 2years, I searched fruitlessly for info on her parents.

As a last resort, I posted on a forum where a very kind person looked at the parish record and sent me a copy of the original.
My gg grandmother's maiden name had been incorrectly transcribed by Rootsireland as McGarvey.
Her name was quite clear, and read: McGrory!

As soon as I had the correct info, finding the earlier family was extremely easy.
I still use Rootsireland, but am always cautious of their transcriptions.

[gaffy]

I would say to anyone, if your experience with any commercial website is bad, don't use it.