Reviewing names with the symbols '*' and '?'
I know as an indexer that if you cant decipher something, you should replace a single character with a '?' and if its several characters, with an '*'. This has worked for me in every situation.
I also know as a reviewer that we should do our best to decipher the characters marked by '*' and '?'. I have done so, and cant remember having an issue with this as far back as I can remember.
What Im worried about is running into an situation where the indexer has left those markings for me as a reviewer to go over and I still cant tell what the letter/number is. Does anyone have any idea what I should do? Or does anyone have any methods that they have been using for these situations in the past?
P.S.
I think this is something thats probably crossed our minds at some point. I cant remember anyone asking this question before, but Im sorry if it has.
Best Answers
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I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but I just keep the "*" if I don't know what the name or word says. This has happened to me a couple of times. I haven't heard anyone ask this. You're fine.
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Colin, I agree with @LukeChapman1 I think you're fine. One thing you can do is submit your batch code to this forum and see if there is someone on here that could help you decipher the name. Many fresh eyes could be better than a set. We are here to help one another when we're confused or frustrated.
Thanks for asking that question.
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I will do a quick search on FamilySearch and see if I can find another document to compare the names. Sometimes the census documents will have better handwriting over time. We can't use outside resources to index, but, we can use them for verification of what we think we see. I would never use an index without seeing another document though since we have no idea if the person who indexed the name could read it either!
I have shared batches with others to see if they can read the information or looked at reference images to get an idea of the scribes handwriting style when possible.
Sometimes if you trace the name with your finger on the screen it comes to you.
I have also returned a batch hoping the next reviewer sees something I can't see.
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Answers
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Thank you guys for your suggestions these are great!
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you're welcome!
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