OCR madness .....

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:26 pm

I often wondered why my forehead had a lump on it

Probably from

Would that be classed as an occupational hazard

or a cure for an obsessional itch

The first sensible answer to that is eliminated from the competition.

Russell
Chief head shrinker/head banger.

Post by **SarahND** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 2:35 pm

Russell wrote:Probably from

Of course!!! That's what it's from. Makes perfect sense. Good thinking, Russell-- You well deserve your title

Sarah

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:18 pm

Russell wrote:....snipped...........At least with typos there is enough shape there to interpret. .....snipped........Russell

The reverse of that is what I foresee as the main problem. i.e. a letter here or two out of kilter, and quite often predictable misinterpretations, is no great problem, in terms of Indian sub-continent or SE Asian transcribers, but OCR misinterpretations are likely to be very unpredictable.

Where someone actually finds a probable match, then again, no great problem, as experience so far is that consultation of the digital image immediately answers what the transcription should be.

The big problem is going to be the entries that folk don't find because the OCR interpretation is so wildly out ......

David

Post by **SarahND** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:25 pm

DavidWW wrote:The big problem is going to be the entries that folk don't find because the OCR interpretation is so wildly out ......

Yes, although the flexibility of the Ancestry search does help find people, even when the surname is indexed in a wildly fanciful way. It would be a catastrophe if the search required a surname, however

Sarah

grannysrock · Post by **grannysrock** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:40 pm

Russel wrote:

Then My De Bono type mind got me wondering what an OCR programme would make of the 1880's occupation of Phrenologist.

Well I couln't resist trying to find some !

Sadly you have to give in at least three letters before using a wildcard , a search in 1851 with "PHR" came up with 2 probable phrenologists and these other candidates :

Robt H Hall in St Ninians is a Proppirval Phrendogist
Henry L Lewis in Edinburgh St Andrew is a Lectrirer On Phrenotoye
Robert Burn in Stirling is Retired Phr Royalhary (Mindboggling)
Hugh Connel in Galston is a Sovaneno Phranaker No idea
Joanna W Lennox in HAmilton is (of The Faculty Of Phrjeicitian Boycon)
John Lindsay in Montrose is a Coal Fitter A Tichmeal Phrose Applud Person And Employ Loal Gar Scholar Indeed
Elisabeth Padge in Abbotshall is a Hawker Of Phread & Needles common pronunciation fault !
John Kerr in Annan is a Farmer Of 150 Acceres Feplaying Phree 3 Labourers
Archibald Millar in Leith South is a simple Phryhman

Sally

Post by **SarahND** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 3:51 pm

Sally, those are brilliant!!!!!

My favorite is this distinguished person:

grannysrock wrote:(of The Faculty Of Phrjeicitian Boycon)

I wonder if the Ancestry folk realize just how much fun we are getting out of these?!

Sarah

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:29 pm

grannysrock wrote:Russel wrote:
Then My De Bono type mind got me wondering what an OCR programme would make of the 1880's occupation of Phrenologist.
Well I couln't resist trying to find some !

Sadly you have to give in at least three letters before using a wildcard , a search in 1851 with "PHR" came up with 2 probable phrenologists and these other candidates :

Robt H Hall in St Ninians is a Proppirval Phrendogist
Henry L Lewis in Edinburgh St Andrew is a Lectrirer On Phrenotoye
Robert Burn in Stirling is Retired Phr Royalhary (Mindboggling)
Hugh Connel in Galston is a Sovaneno Phranaker No idea
Joanna W Lennox in HAmilton is (of The Faculty Of Phrjeicitian Boycon)
John Lindsay in Montrose is a Coal Fitter A Tichmeal Phrose Applud Person And Employ Loal Gar Scholar Indeed
Elisabeth Padge in Abbotshall is a Hawker Of Phread & Needles common pronunciation fault !
John Kerr in Annan is a Farmer Of 150 Acceres Feplaying Phree 3 Labourers
Archibald Millar in Leith South is a simple Phryhman

Sally

Right!, - let's have a competition, and no keeking at the originals, - the winner being whoever gets closest to the real entries.............

Robt H Hall in St Ninians is a Proppirval Phrendogist
Professional Phrenologist

Henry L Lewis in Edinburgh St Andrew is a Lectrirer On Phrenotoye
Lecturer on Phrenology

Robert Burn in Stirling is Retired Phr Royalhary (Mindboggling)
Retired ????

Hugh Connel in Galston is a Sovaneno Phranaker No idea
No idea

Joanna W Lennox in HAmilton is (of The Faculty Of Phrjeicitian Boycon)
of the Faculty of Physicians & Surgeons - as the Glasgow Royal College was known, - only slight problem is "Joanna" !

John Lindsay in Montrose is a Coal Fitter A Tichmeal Phrose Applud Person And Employ Loal Gar Scholar Indeed
I get the drift but the exact words?

Elisabeth Padge in Abbotshall is a Hawker Of Phread & Needles common pronunciation fault !
Too easy, - Thread

John Kerr in Annan is a Farmer Of 150 Acceres Feplaying Phree 3 Labourers
Farmer of 150 Acres Employing Three Labourers

Archibald Millar in Leith South is a simple Phryhman
Ploughman

David

Post by **SarahND** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:45 pm

I'll go along with David's Professional Phrenologist and Lecturer on Phrenology.
Then this one:

Robert Burn in Stirling is Retired Phr Royalhary (Mindboggling)

is Retired Col Royal Army

Joanna W Lennox in HAmilton is (of The Faculty Of Phrjeicitian Boycon)
of the Faculty of Physicians & Surgeons - as the Glasgow Royal College was known, - only slight problem is "Joanna" !

I'm going to guess that the name is actually John W Lennox. I was going to guess Joseph, but the descent of the 'p' below the line should have been picked up by the OCR...

John Lindsay in Montrose is a Coal Fitter A Tichmeal Phrose Applud Person And Employ Loal Gar Scholar Indeed
I get the drift but the exact words?

Umm... yes.

Then the last three I also agree with David.

Sarah

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 4:58 pm

Having put my bid in, so to speak, so that I can't change my mind, and since I haven't enjoyed myself so my granny got her ***** caught in the ********* I'm at this moment in the process of spending my own bawbees on looking at the images, so that, in, let's say 72 hours time, I can judge the winner, who cannot, of course be me !!

David

grannysrock · Post by **grannysrock** » Sun Dec 03, 2006 5:01 pm

Joanna W Lennox in HAmilton is (of The Faculty Of Phrjeicitian Boycon)
of the Faculty of Physicians & Surgeons - as the Glasgow Royal College was known, - only slight problem is "Joanna" !

mmm... Here is Joanna's husband's ( Walter W Lennox) occupation :
Assist Surgeon R X H Pay Licentiate)

Without seeing the original , I's say OCR allocated her a bit of her husband's job ! And I thought job sharing was a recent thing ...

I agree with David's and Sarah's suggestions - pity - I'd got a nice vision of the Royalhairy regiment - kilted of course .

I'm still puzzling with Sovaneno - I'm sure I've got a bottle of it somewhere and I dont know what Tichmeal Phrose is either.

Sally