Assuming surnames
It was just pointed out to me that, in the General Indexing Guidelines, there is the statement, "Do not assume the surname of an individual based on the surname of someone else, such as a parent or a spouse, unless directed otherwise in the project instructions."
I am working on a batch of English baptism records where the child's name, the father's name, and the mother's name, are all written in their own columns, and then the last name is given in its own column --- in other words, there is no natural association between any of these names and the surname given.
According to someone I'm working with, this means that no one gets a last name indexed for them.
This seems really silly, to throw away perfectly good info because the record format doesn't directly associate any of these people with the last name.
What do I do in this situation?
Answers
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It is most helpful to share your batch to get an accurate answer. All project instructions are not the same. To share a batch, you need to provide the URL address or the batch code. (Click on the third icon from the right for detailed information).
I'm fairly certain if you look at the examples in the project instructions you will find that at least the mother and father have the surname indexed, and the child may or may not. The project instructions can be pulled up at any time by clicking on the last icon on the toolbar, or via the Help tab. The field helps will also tell you how to index the surnames. Field helps provide further instructions for each field. They are accessed by clicking on the purple question mark that appears when you click on the fields.
Please share your batch for the most correct answer. But, I can assure you that if there is a surname on the image, it gets attached to someone in the record.
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