Dear List, I came late to this discussion and will go back to Marlene Van Horn's not about transcription accuracy. As usual Marlene is right, it is very important that transcribers exercise their best efforts to write down exactly what was written - misspellings and all. I believe the rule also includes capitalizing the same random letters that the author capitalized, not putting in capital letters that the author did not capitalize (like words at the beginning of a "sentence" or even the personal pronoun "I"), and not adding apostrophes (or any other punctuation) not in the original. In fact, and this is my own take, I use italics or fonts that resemble handwriting when transcribing an original to signal the fact that it was handwritten (with the notes and bracketed material in a font like Times) and I will duplicate the paragraph layout as nearly as possible (even to the point of printing upside down notes that were upside down in the handwritten original). However, I believe that rule applies in its strictest sense only when transcribing an original document and is much less important with data sources. I feel no particular compulsion to write down all the lame misspellings created by census takers (or the people they talked to). I will sometimes give those misspellings in quotes, but once you've recorded the Year, Location, ED number, and page/sheet, it should be relatively easy to spot the misspelled entry. I think the point should also be made that the rule doesn't require you to create mysteries for your readers, it's perfectly acceptable to include, within editorial brackets, what you believe the word was actually intended to be. The accuracy rule has been satisfied, but you've given the reader the benefit of your familiarity with the text. These observations are hard won. Last year I transcribed some 74 Civil War letters with the transcriptions going online in connection with two different university collections. Jack Fallin Walnut Creek, CA On Apr 9, 2012, at 3:07 AM, Marfy Goodspeed wrote: > Comes under the category---What Were They Thinking? > > *Marfy Goodspeed **marfyg@gmail.com** > Goodspeed Histories http://goodspeedhistories.com/ > * > > > On Mon, Apr 9, 2012 at 12:32 AM, Judy Winston <peasncarats@yahoo.com> wrote: > >> What I don't understand is why the transcribers so often choose the more >> unlikely reading of unclear handwriting. >> >> For example, in the 1900 census one ancestor's first name could have been >> read as either Bosa or Rosa from the handwriting. The transcriber wrote >> "Bosa." >> >> In 1910, the same ancestor's first name could have been either Rora or >> Rosa from the handwriting. The transcriber picked "Rora." >> >> Only in 1920 was the name written clearly enough so the transcriber >> correctly wrote "Rosa." >> >> Some people do have weird names, but really! >> >> Judy >> >> >> ________________________________ >> From: Marleen Van Horne <msvnhrn@jps.net> >> To: njhunter@rootsweb.com >> Sent: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 2:21 PM >> Subject: Re: [NJHUNTER] Family Search >> >> The reason the enumerators did not ask how the names were spelled is >> that many people could not read, write or spell. >> >> I was told when I first started my research that was the reason >> enumerators did not ask, which may be an urban myth. >> >> When transcribing original documents, you do not write what YOU think it >> should be, you do your best to transcribe what is actually on the paper. >> You ability to do this depends on the clarity and the quality of the >> material you are transcribing. >> >> I am a CONGLETON descendant. I have found this surname in the census >> with the following spellings: >> >> 1810.....Kunkleton >> 1820.....Concleton >> 1830.....Conkitton >> 1840.....Conklinton >> 1850.....Kankleton, Cankleton >> 1870.....Concklington >> >> Even for my own surname, I have to search Vanhorn, Vanhorne, Van Horn >> and Van Horne. >> >> Transcribers are not editors, their job is to transfer letter for letter >> what is on the original document. >> >> Marleen Van Horne >> Visit the Hunterdon County GenWeb page at: >> http://www.rootsweb.com/~njhunter >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> NJHUNTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> Visit the Hunterdon County GenWeb page at: >> http://www.rootsweb.com/~njhunter >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> NJHUNTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > Visit the Hunterdon County GenWeb page at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~njhunter > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to NJHUNTER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message