Dave, Perhaps you would share your reply to Sue to the list as she expressed my confusion very well. I am not arguing your position - just trying to understand from someone more experienced in genealogy than I am what the "qualitative" difference is between the comma or period that always follow the surname and vol field, and the period that follows the forename list. If, in your experience, you have seen index entries that lead you to suppose or suspect that the period following the forename conveys information, while the other punctuation doesn't (and it appears from your earlier replies that you have) could you please share your knowledge. My experience of indices is limited to the 100 or so pages that I have transcribed and the odd look up for my own family. It had never occcurred to me that a period that wasn't indicating an abbreviation could be carrying additional information. My apologies to others who see this discussion as squabbling. It was not intended as such - I would like to understand the background that informs the instruction - not least in case others can apply the knowledge to their own research. Val ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave Mayall" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 5:04 PM Subject: Re: Period Drama > Quoting Sue Burton <[email protected]>: > > > OK - so when I'm going back to add all the full stops after the > > forenames in > > Death records, shall I also add the commas after the surnames and the > > full > > stops after the volume numbers? I can see them too! And shall I add > > the > > last two to Birth and Marriage records as well? I can see them there > > as > > well. > > Replied direct [As already stated, this topic is NOT APPROPRIATE for the Admins list. > > > > -- > Dave Mayall > > ------------------------------------------------- > This mail sent through UK Online webmail > > > ==== FreeBMD-Admins Mailing List ==== > Need to get a fast answer to your transcribing problems? Go to the > Transcribers Knowledge Base at http://FreeBMD.RootsWeb.com/vol_faq.html > > ============================== > Search over 1 Billion names at Ancestry.com! > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist1.asp > >