1939 Register....two mistakes on first one looked at

[clairec666]

I still can't find my grandmother, she isn't where she ought to be with my grandfather, unless for some reason she is still one of the people shown as closed at their address. As she was born in 1884 and died in 1982 I can't see why. I've searched by various combinations of names and even just by her exact date of birth, but she's not there!

It's possible her date of birth was mistranscribed as 1934 so her record will still be closed! Have you looked at your grandfather's record yet? You may be able to guess who the closed people are, based on the order in which they appear.

[groom]

Have you looked at your grandfather's record yet?

Yes, there was a problem with that as a whole section of the road where they lived was missing. I contacted FindMyPast and gave them my grandparent's names and address, plus that of their neighbours (luckily I knew who they would be). They admitted there was a mistake and were able to open that section. However the house now just shows my grandfather. There could still be a mistake on that page as the transcription shows 2 closed records ( that would be my father and his older brother) but the image shows 5 closed records. It isn't my father's older siblings as they were all married by then and I've found them elsewhere.

I'll wait a few weeks until FindMyPast isn't so busy with people reporting mistakes, and then I'll contact them again.

[ScouseBoy]

What quality control checks were conducted on transcription operatives?

Were they paid for speed OR accuracy?

The transcription was done in columns rather than lines due to "privacy" controls.
This meant that the normal procedure transcribers use for checking indistinct words or letters was not available.
It also opened another possibility for errors when the transcribed columns were realigned, sometimes these were not aligned correctly.

Transcription is a difficult enough job without adding to the difficulties as was done in this case.
Just be thankful it has been done at all.

Cheers
Guy

  If a job  is worth being done, it is worth being done accurately.

[clairec666]

I've seen some pretty awful mistranscriptions..... but now I've seen some of the images, I can see why. It's 10 times easier to transcribe something if you've got some idea of what it says in the first place.

[Beeonthebay]

I've seen some pretty awful mistranscriptions..... but now I've seen some of the images, I can see why. It's 10 times easier to transcribe something if you've got some idea of what it says in the first place.

Definitely agree here.  I'm doing a bit of marriage certificate transcribing for FreeReg and when I've hit a problem with a name, mostly the witnesses as there is no handwriting to compare it to, I've posted on here and it's surprising how people see writing differently, then your eyes "clear" and you can see what they see......mostly.

[Beeonthebay]

A question please about the DOB's on the 1939 Register.  I have found 2 that have different dates than on their baptism records (those types that show the DOB as well as the baptism date).

Who actually gave this information to the enumerator or whatever he was called?  Did somebody go door to door knocking then take it all back to "head office" to transcribe onto these long forms?

I can understand that people weren't sure of their DOB back in the days of widespread illiteracy but this is puzzling me that these dates are wrong in recentish times.

[Deirdre784]

I've just found an interesting transcription....

5 in the household of my great aunt... listed in the following order

Adelaide, 15 Aug 1885, female, iron and steelworks blast furnace keeper heavy worker, married
Peter, 4 Aug 1924, male, milk round errand boy, married
James, 16 Aug 1890, male, housewife unpaid domestic duties, single

and 2 closed records.

Guess that's where they have had to transcribe in columns and it's become unaligned.

EDITED TO ADD: The image is correct, if poorly written, street name is wrong too. Explains why I couldn't find Adelaide born 16 Aug 1890 before today. 

[Treetotal]

A bit of role reversal there...a bit ahead of their time
Carol

[clairec666]

Definitely sounds like the columns were misaligned! I guess in some cases this could mean records could be closed which should be open, and vice versa...