Author Topic: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?  (Read 86852 times)

Online coombs

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #189 on: Monday 06 November 17 16:16 GMT (UK) »
My fave one is Pernella E Smell, born Phedge Naton, Oxfordshire. I did more digging and her name was Priscilla E Snell born Brize Norton.
Researching:

LONDON, Coombs, Roberts, Auber, Helsdon, Fradine, Morin, Goodacre
DORSET Coombs, Munday
NORFOLK Helsdon, Riches, Harbord, Budery
KENT Roberts, Goodacre
SUSSEX Walder, Boniface, Dinnage, Standen, Lee, Botten, Wickham, Jupp
SUFFOLK Titshall, Frost, Fairweather, Mayhew, Archer, Eade, Scarfe
DURHAM Stewart, Musgrave, Wilson, Forster
SCOTLAND Stewart in Selkirk
USA Musgrave, Saix
ESSEX Cornwell, Stock, Quilter, Lawrence, Whale, Clift
OXON Edgington, Smith, Inkpen, Snell, Batten, Brain

Offline LizzieW

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Terrible transcriptions
« Reply #190 on: Wednesday 08 November 17 15:14 GMT (UK) »
I've spent ages looking for my 2 x g.g.aunt and her first husband, I think he died in 1853, but she had her 3rd child with him in 1851 so I assumed they would be on the 1851 census.  Their surname was Bassingthwaighte.  Eventually I found them on Ancestry transcribed as Bapingthwaight, so not too far out.  I went to FindMyPast and copied the piece/folio/page numbers, a family came up named Wright ::)

Correct family but husband transcribed as George F Baping (all first names) and Wright as the surname with the rest of the family given the surname Wright.  No wonder I couldn't find them when I was looking under every combination of a name beginning with B and FindMyPast which doesn't like searches with just first names gave them a surname beginning with W.  I wonder how many other "lost" ancestors have been similarly mistranscribed?

Offline mijath

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #191 on: Wednesday 08 November 17 23:41 GMT (UK) »
1891 census. Surname Ruttledge. Transcribed as? Kattledgo.
Thorpe, Feak & Townsend (Norfolk) / Ormandy & Slater (Dalton-in-Furness) / Corner (Liverpool) / Wray (Lincolnshire) / Fidler, Bridge & Turner (Derbyshire)

Offline Rosinish

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #192 on: Thursday 30 November 17 23:41 GMT (UK) »
Robert Baunatync...

Transcribed from a typed doc. Electoral Register from Register of Parliamentary Voters, Burgh of Glasgow, 1871 - 1873...

Is actually Robert Bannatyne (clear as day)

Annie
South Uist, Inverness-shire, Scotland:- Bowie, Campbell, Cumming, Currie

Ireland:- Cullen, Flannigan (Derry), Donahoe/Donaghue (variants) (Cork), McCrate (Tipperary), Mellon, Tol(l)and (Donegal & Tyrone)

Newcastle-on-Tyne/Durham (Northumberland):- Harrison, Jude, Kemp, Lunn, Mellon, Robson, Stirling

Kettering, Northampton:- MacKinnon

Canada:- Callaghan, Cumming, MacPhee

"OLD GENEALOGISTS NEVER DIE - THEY JUST LOSE THEIR CENSUS"


Offline stonechat

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #193 on: Monday 04 December 17 16:06 GMT (UK) »
was just reminded of one I had forgotten

A family of Varnden all transcribed as Barricks
Douglas, Varnden, Joy(i)ce Surrey, Clarke Northants/Hunts, Pullen Worcs/Herefords, Holmes Birmingham/USA/Canada/Australia, Jackson Cheshire/Yorkshire, Lomas Cheshire, Lee Yorkshire, Cocks Lancashire, Leah Cheshire, Cook Yorkshire, Catlow Lancashire
See my website http://www.cotswan.com

Offline Mark1973

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #194 on: Friday 26 January 18 14:08 GMT (UK) »
Not Ancestry unfortunately but I was just browsing through the British Newspaper Archive site for my local pub history. The Dolphin has been transcribed as the Bulimia!
Lavender - Ruislip Middlesex / Mitcham Surrey
Ad(d)away - Burnham Buckinghamshire / Mitcham Surrey
Abrehart/Abrahart - Edmonton Middlesex / Mitcham Surrey / Victoria Australia
Lindsell - Braintree Essex / Morpeth Durham / Islington london
Donohoe/Donohue & Roche - Graiguecullen, Queens/Carlow Ireland

Offline CarolA3

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #195 on: Saturday 27 January 18 01:52 GMT (UK) »
Hi Mark :)

That would be an unfortunate choice of name for any catering establishment :o

I believe BNA use an OCR system rather than human transcribers, otherwise the project would be too slow and expensive.  It's usually good with standard typefaces but does get confused by features like italics or curly/gothic/ornate print.

Carol
OXFORDSHIRE / BERKSHIRE
Bullock, Cooper, Boler/Bowler, Wright, Robinson, Lee, Prior, Trinder, Newman, Walklin, Louch

Offline stonechat

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #196 on: Saturday 27 January 18 07:13 GMT (UK) »
By no means the worst but in the typewritten GRO birth indexes a lady we know first name of Norma, somehow they found an extra 'n' which is not there for Norman
Douglas, Varnden, Joy(i)ce Surrey, Clarke Northants/Hunts, Pullen Worcs/Herefords, Holmes Birmingham/USA/Canada/Australia, Jackson Cheshire/Yorkshire, Lomas Cheshire, Lee Yorkshire, Cocks Lancashire, Leah Cheshire, Cook Yorkshire, Catlow Lancashire
See my website http://www.cotswan.com

Offline candleflame

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Re: The worst Ancestry transcription ever?
« Reply #197 on: Monday 29 January 18 13:36 GMT (UK) »
Not a transcript but a hearing error on one census by the enumerator had one tree I was doing for a Friend called Dixon, down as 'Distant. ' Fortunately they lived in the same area all their lives and had a fleet of children all the correct age to be at home all there in the right order and with the right places of birth. So a search using just Christian names eventually tracked them down.
North East of England