Untangling a transcription mess

Information and Advice

Moderator: Global Moderators

speleobat2
Posts: 1646
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2007 3:14 pm
Location: USA--Alabama

Untangling a transcription mess

Post by speleobat2 » Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:23 am

Yesterday evening I spent an hour untangling a transcription mess! My grandfather’s aunt Isabella married a ship’s master , John Still, in 1857. I had been able to find them in most census records with the exception of 1871. I found John that year on board his ship, but hadn’t been able to find Isabella and the kids.

After reading the discussion on middle names, I decided to try out the Middle Names website search with Clerihew as a middle name and came up with 7 results including Ann Clerihew Still whom I had never run across before. SP verified that she was the daughter of John and Isabella, but she was no where to be found on Ancestry so I started trying variations of Still and up popped Ann Clerchew Stell, 1871. :roll: She lived with her mother Isabella, her brothers John and George and her sisters Isabella and Mary Ann Milne Still who was also new to me, but her father’s name was James and there was a James Stewart listed here who was head of the household and a photographer born in Peter Cattie. :o

Another trip to SP for the original 1871 census. James certainly was the head of the house--his own which happened to be the last house on Albion St. which was canvassed right before Hanover Lane where the Stills lived in the first house. James’ record ended up on the line above Isabella’s and since John was at sea, the transcriptionist made James the head of the Still household , Isabella’s new husband, and her children’s new father! :shock:

Also, Ann and Mary Ann the two youngest children were missing once more. Another look at the original census showed the Still family as the last family on the page where the girls got bumped to the next page! I wouldn’t have found Ann and Mary Ann if I hadn’t found the Ancestry listing because they both died in the early 1870’s and so weren’t on the 1881 Census. However, I wouldn’t have found them at all if it hadn’t been for the Middle Names website! :D

Moral of the story: How about: We all need all the help we can get! Or Read your original census records with a magnifying glass!

Carol
Looking for: Clerihew, Longmuir/Longmore, Chalmers, Milne, Barclay in Newhills,
Munro, Cadenhead, Raitt, Ririe/Reary

paddyscar
Site Admin
Posts: 2418
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 7:56 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Post by paddyscar » Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:34 am

Hi Carol:

Glad your perseverance paid off! It also shows that you have more than one angle to solve a problem. :lol:
Frances