OCR madness .....

[CatrionaL]

New County for Scotland!!

Linbethgoneshire

Any guesses as to what it really is?

Jean

Hi Jean

I would say Linlithgowshire.

Best wishes

Catriona

P.S.
Sorry the answer lacks the sparkle of the other posts in this topic. Maybe I need a cuppa!

[Russell]

Hi Jean Jeannie

Linbethgoneshire

I know that one
Its that relative you could never find Lin Beth gone. she set up her own little empire somewhere. All you need do is find out where.
Have you tried the 2001 census

Russell

P.S. Catriona - You need to get into the spirit of things

[sporran]

Hello again,


I had hoped to pacify the 'conspiracy theorists' in our midst by asking a follow-up question, but the answer still leaves room for doubt.

"Dear John,

We appreciate your message.

To the extent of my knowledge, there wasn't a character recognition program used to transcribe the records. Technical support isn't by any means connected to the transcription process, but to my understanding, there is a team of Humans that do the transcribing.

If there is anything else with which we might assist you, please let us know.

Justin W
Member Solutions
Ancestry.com
http://ancestry.custhelp.com/

Did you know? We have paid research consultants ready to assist you at any time. To learn more research tips and tricks, or if you simply need to get over that research hurdle, please contact us at 1-800-ANCESTRY."

I included the tag line this time, since it amused me.

That is as far as I want to go with this topic, so if anyone can find out more from Ancestry, he or she is welcome.


Regards,

John

[Jean Jeanie]

New County for Scotland!!

Linbethgoneshire

Any guesses as to what it really is?

Jean

Hi Jean

I would say Linlithgowshire.

Best wishes

Catriona

P.S.
Sorry the answer lacks the sparkle of the other posts in this topic. Maybe I need a cuppa!

Yes it is Linlithgowshire!!

Jean

[Russell]

Thanks John

It looks like we'll get no further information there.

It makes me suspicious when they say

Did you know? We have paid research consultants ready to assist you at any time. To learn more research tips and tricks, or if you simply need to get over that research hurdle, please contact us at 1-800-ANCESTRY."

Are they trying to make the searches so difficult that we have to resort to their paid researchers

Income generation springs to mind

Never mind it has given us pages of delightful nonsense and a shared sense of fun

Russell
[/quote]

[DavidWW]

New County for Scotland!!

Linbethgoneshire

Any guesses as to what it really is?

Jean

I can hardly credit this on the one hand, - but on t'other, given the alternatives previously identified for the counties of (personal rant ) Roxburgh and Banff, I guess that I'm not surprised at this alternative for Linlithgowshire (aka at other times as West Lothian).

Orraverybest

David

[DavidWW]

Hello again,


I had hoped to pacify the 'conspiracy theorists' in our midst by asking a follow-up question, but the answer still leaves room for doubt.

"Dear John,

We appreciate your message.

To the extent of my knowledge, there wasn't a character recognition program used to transcribe the records. Technical support isn't by any means connected to the transcription process, but to my understanding, there is a team of Humans that do the transcribing.

If there is anything else with which we might assist you, please let us know.

Justin W
Member Solutions
Ancestry.com
http://ancestry.custhelp.com/

Did you know? We have paid research consultants ready to assist you at any time. To learn more research tips and tricks, or if you simply need to get over that research hurdle, please contact us at 1-800-ANCESTRY."

I included the tag line this time, since it amused me.

That is as far as I want to go with this topic, so if anyone can find out more from Ancestry, he or she is welcome.


Regards,

John

John

I assume that you referred them to the article publishd in the November 2006 issue of Integrated Solutions in relation to AncestryDPS's publicly acknowledged use of OCR, ICR, and OMR technologies ?, so that their replies have studiously ignored responding to this ?

I've separately emailed the Ancestry Director, International Content Acquisition, whom I met in Darwin in June, in relation to this situation.

His reply, in terms of previous experience of communications with Ancestry, was amazingly swift, - by return, - and referring me to a couple of folk in Ancestry UK, the implication being that they had been asked to contact me asap, as, in my email to the Ancestry Director, I made appropriate comments on what would be my answer to listeners questions in relation to this situation that will probably arise during the BBC Radio Scotland series starting 07Jan2007, - but, so far, no contact from Ancestry UK ........... watch this space .............

To summarize my position.

As soon as the Ancestry '51 and '61 Scottish censuses hit the web I started to see transcribed material that I considered was so typical of the output from OCR software, based on previous experience of such output

There the situation would have rested, i.e. a strong suspicion only, except that a fellow TS member very cleverly discovered the Integrated Solutions November article............

In that specific context I remain to be convinced that OCR etc. technology is not involved.............

David
in terms of this situation quite defintutely a confirmed 'conspiracy theorist'

[DavidWW]

Well, I certainly had no idea of the topic's amazing potential when I innocently started this thread a few days ago Hope you night owls don't have too much of a headache this morning

Bringing it back to serious matters... Here are my final thoughts on Sally's OCR puzzles. I'll be away from the internet Wednesday and Thursday, but will look forward to seeing where the tangents have gone by then!

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

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

Robert Burn in Stirling is Retired Phr Royalhary
Retired Cmr Royal Navy (With all David's hints I think this is the end result?)

Hugh Connel in Galston is a Sovaneno Phranaker
Son of a Homewrecker

Joanna W Lennox in Hamilton is (of The Faculty Of Phrjeicitian Boycon)
of the Faculty of Physicians & Surgeons - as David originally said

Either the name is actually John W Lennox and she is a man, or the occupation was so long-winded that it continued onto the next line from her husbands and the OCR thought it applied to Joanna.

John Lindsay in Montrose is a Coal Fitter A Tichmeal Phrose Applud Person And Employ Loal Gar Scholar
I'll stick with Coal Fitter A common phrase applied persons employed as coal fire installers
Now we know what to call them

And finally, the easy ones:

Elisabeth Padge in Abbotshall is a Hawker Of Phread & Needles common pronunciation fault !
Hawker of thread & needles

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

Now I've really got to get that Christmas parcel in the mail for my family in the U.S. or it will never get there in time.
Talk to you later!
Sarah

Several quite fascinating minutes spent at NRH today on clarifying these above interesting entries, but, you'll all have to wait until I've handle a load of other email before "publishing" the results

David

[pinkshoes]

This could go on for ever. Notwithstanding the hilarity of previous posts, I'm beginning to feel less good natured towards the "machine/human team/whatever" behind all this.

I have found a couple named Wm and Jean Fype who were both born in Kunkardee, Perthshire. Geography has never been my strong point, so I wonder if SKS could tell me whether this might in fact be near Kincardine?

Mr George Henderson is to be found right where I expected him in Denny, but I was amused to see his birthplace was the pictureskew Bonny Bridget.

It's no funny any mair.

Best wishes
Pinkshoes

[AndrewP]

I have found a couple named Wm and Jean Fype who were both born in Kunkardee, Perthshire. Geography has never been my strong point, so I wonder if SKS could tell me whether this might in fact be near Kincardine?

There were two Kincardines in Perthshire. Kincardine Parish, the area around Blair Drummond (in modern terms better known for the Safari Park) and Kincardine-on-Forth (by Kincardine Bridge). Kincardine-on-Forth was in Tulliallan Parish, which with Culross Parish formed a detached part of Perthshire until 1891 when they were transferred to Fife.

All the best,

AndrewP