APG-L Archives

Archiver > APG > 2004-10 > 1098543964


From: Ray Beere Johnson II <>
Subject: O'Neil indexed as Cheal
Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2004 08:06:42 -0700 (PDT)


Kathy;
Although I agree offshore indexing staff can
add to the problems of locating records, this is
not always the cause of the trouble. Even within
America, not everyone is familiar with every
name. There are many early records in
Massachusetts which reveal numerous "creative"
spellings of common Irish names; these appear in
the original record itself. Usually, I find them
while searching for something for a client - I'd
like to take the time to develop a database of
commonly noted misspellings of these Irish names,
as I work with them a lot.
Then, a little later, the Irish got their
revenge. In researching an Armenian family, the
surname Ogassian came up. Yes, you guessed it -
the name was spelled O'Gassian in many of the
original vital records where it was recorded.
Of course, when the indexing process adds an
entirely new layer of errors, it becomes even
more difficult to locate anyone. When I
contemplate the potential for errors, it
sometimes seems amazing to me that we are able to
successfully find anyone at all! There are the
easy cases, who are indexed exactly as we
expected to find them, but for the rest it just
takes a lot of knowledge and creativity to
overcome whatever obstacles stand in our way. Not
to mention hard work...
Ray


=====
Ray Beere Johnson II - Genealogist
279 East Central Street, Suite 259
P. O. Box 95
Franklin, Massachusetts 02038


FAX: 508-541-6788




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