THE CORRECT DATE - US Texas Grimes Co--Deed Records MSYK-YW2

User1586396941854648888

My question is about which date to use. I am reviewing the above-referenced batch. (The batch may expire by the time you read this--but you can choose another one--they are generally the same.) A record consists of three parts (from beginning to end): 1 - The Deed, 2 - Notary paragraph, 3 - Filing / Recording paragraph. EACH OF THESE THREE SECTIONS CONTAINS A DATE. Each date is different. The earliest date is the Deed. The most recent dates are the Notary paragraph and the Filing / Recording paragraph.

In the batch MSYK-YW2, there is a difference of 30 years between the Deed Date and the Recording Date.

FIELDS TO INDEX: The fields are: Names of Grantor / Grantee and Record Month / Record Day / Record Year.

FIELD HELP: "If a range of years or multiple dates were recorded, TYPE THE MOST RECENT DATE that has to do with the DEED PROCESS for the entry."

PROJECT INSTRUCION: Same as Field Help, plus: "Most often, records end with signatures or a note about when the record was filed." [This would be the filing and recording paragraph.]

PROJECT INSTRUCTION EXAMPLE: [How to Index a Deed, Page 2]

HERE IS THE PROBLEM: The field help and project instructions are NOT CONSISTENT with the Example--which clearly shows the DEED DATE should be used as the Record Month / Day and Year.

It makes sense to me that the Deed Date is the correct date to use. Out of the 9 batches I just reviewed, 7 of them used the "wrong" date, namely, the filing / recording date. I contacted FamilySearch Indexing Help (live chat) and the Missionary agreed with me that the Example shows the Deed Date is the correct date to use. She also felt the Project Instructions and Field Help were confusing and inconsistent.

I SUGGEST that, if this is the case, when a new set of Deed Records similar to this become available, maybe someone in charge could rewrite the instruction sections so that the wrong date is not being entered in the majority of records. If my reviewing is representative of this error, that means approximately 72-75% of the 5,000+ records have been indexed with the wrong date.

Susan Ann Mullen

You might want to post this in the Ideas section of Communities. There is an indexing area in Ideas that would be a good fit for this suggestion.

User1586396941854648888

Thank you!

Melissa S Himes

Per the project instruction example, the date to use is definitely the date the deed was written and sworn to by the sellers. They should have used a different example that shows the deed, the notary statement, and the recording.

For many people, the "deed process" would involve the recording of the deed since this is what ensures the validity of a deed and the public announcement of ownership. However, in Texas, where this collection is from, a deed doesn't have to be recorded to be legal. Maybe that is why they are using the date of the deed ? But, for the purposes of indexing, telling people to record the "most recent date in the deed process" isn't very helpful when there are three dates.

Hopefully, the Missionary will report the inconsistent instructions, and maybe the moderators can pass your message on as well and get this corrected!

User1586396941854648888

Thanks very much, Melissa.

PeggyHReid

I reported the discrepancy to the Project Specialist. She said the instructions for the date to use is the one in the Field Helps which is "If a range of years or multiple dates were recorded, type the most recent date." I am reviewing and almost everyone uses the last date which is on the last page as the date recorded. On the Hardin project the image in the example clearly shows the most recent date, or the recored date at the end of the form is used.

maryellenstevensbarnes1

@PeggyHReid What is a Project Specialist? In all my 10+ years of indexing many different projects, we have always been taught that Project Instructions trump over Field Helps. As @Melissa S Himes pointed out, "in Texas, where this collection is from, a deed doesn't have to be recorded to be legal. Maybe that is why they are using the date of the deed ? But, for the purposes of indexing, telling people to record the "most recent date in the deed process" isn't very helpful when there are three dates." I am tagging @annewandering to send this question/change in indexing processes to a moderator or Family Search Support. Thank you

Melissa S Himes

I think it is interesting to see a post from a year ago (9/29/21) with an update. It is great that the Field Helps in the Hardin County projects says to use the most recent date. Of course the Project Instructions for Hardin County still say: If a range of years or multiple dates were recorded, type the most recent date that has to do with the deed process. The Grimes County Project hasn't changed much in a year. The field help still has the same instruction relating to the deed process and the example only has a single date. But, if everyone is using the recording date, then the problem is solved.