Feedback for Project Instruction on Field Help: Child's Surname

genthusiast

I'm in project/batch: Ireland, Cork—Church Records, 1740–1913[MSP2-6HC]

I differ in the transcription for the Field Help - the Instruction says the example should be indexed: Marlin

I disagree, it should be: Martin - the t has a very small cross and may be faded. I can find other examples on the page with the same/similar issue.

Question on the same field - Child's Surname: The Project Instructions seem to be fairly explicit but I don't know if I am following them to the letter at the expense of a better index. The instructions are as shown in the following image - 'don't guess the surname from others...':

It seems there is confusion on whether this means if the document does not explicitly have the surname after the child's name then the field should be entered as <BLANK> OR whether the father's surname is listed that should be included as the child's surname? While I can see both as following the instruction - the example shows an explicitly surnamed child followed apparently by a couple who are not his parents? So the example image is confusing for this Field Help. I don't know what the PP in the example means but typically in my experience the parents are listed after the child - but why would they have a different surname then? I don't find the meaning of PP on the Latin Word list found in the wiki. SS I thought indicated the sponsoring/godparents - so it makes sense their surname would be different. The whole page in this example document has children with differing surname than the PP following - a confusing example image to give for representative of a baptism record.

Melissa S Himes

I believe that PP is the abbreviation for per procurationem which are proxy sponsors standing in for SS (godparent sponsors) who couldn't be present.

Do not assume a surname from the surnames of others mentioned in the document. This is the instruction for every surname field on this project. Having this very precise instruction in the field help should lead to less confusion and will not create create indexes for children with the wrong surnames. They need to deleted on each of these entries. IF we are allowed to use the surname of the father or the surname of the child to index the parents name, there will be an instruction detailing that rule (like seen on the Middlesex parish records).

I agree that the example could be Martin. The scribe was pretty careful to cross their "t's", but looking down 2 lines we see Strangers without the t crossed and 4 lines down is Parland where they make their "l" differently when in the midst of a name. It isn't a great example and I would have indexed that as Mar?in.

genthusiast

@Melissa S Himes Interesting! So all the baptisms on this page had proxy sponsors for godparents that were not present AND the parents weren't present. I guess they had to work or they were helping the mother by allowing her to recover. That indicates an active/helpful parish community!

Melissa S Himes

I have no idea why. It is an unusual image. I have seen PP and SS before, but, never a whole page of them. The parents are present at baptisms, but, it isn't a sacrament that they have much involvement in. As I recall the godparents are mostly involved in the ceremony. I don't think it has anything to do with an active parish community either. I am honored to be a godmother and not even of the same religion.