Records not showing the wife's last name consistently

Scott-Robert-L

While attaching sources to records, the wife's last name is not being recognized and displayed consistently, often times only displaying her first name (for which there can be thousands!)

Example: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GXY8-5WC

In this case, the last name is displayed in the hints box (but the first name is not). When you click on one of the hints, on the next page, the wife's first name is displayed (but her last name is not)

Example: https://www.familysearch.org/search/linker?pal=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQPDB-7RW4&id=GXY8-5WC&hinting=%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fdetails%2FGXY8-5WC&icid=fs-hinting

Please correct FamilySearch so that the wife's first and last names are combined and used consistently when displaying and searching for records. Thanks!

Paul W

It appears this is happening because the surname is being indexed as "Spouse's Alias" (instead of as the Name - the field for which just contains the first name). This is stopping the last name being recorded correctly. Maybe this is an error in the indexing process / instructions. An experienced indexer may be able to offer advice.

I experienced a converse situation yesterday. The whole name was in the First Name field, so when I was adding the person (via the source linker) I had to remove the last name from the first name field and add it to the Last Name field. A whole batch of records had been indexed in this manner.

CDBurk

@Scott-Robert-L

@Paul W is correct when he says that when records are indexed, indexers are given specific instructions about what to enter in each field. This is unique with each project that we index. In addition, we are aware that a specific life event for our ancestors can be mentioned in several different Historical Records collections and each one may contain a slightly different indexed record.

A perfect example is the way marriage records appear as Record Hints in Family Tree. Sometimes you find a County marriage record. Sometimes you find a State marriage record.

One hint may contain only the names of the couple, while the next record contains the names of both the couple and their parents, and a third record may be the actual marriage certificate with slightly different information. This is one reason why it is important not to just dismiss record hints because they appear to be about the same life event.

Here are a couple of knowledge articles that you might find helpful as you continue to learn about indexed sources you find at FamilySearch.

Indexing help • FamilySearch

https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/what-types-of-online-help-are-available-while-i-index

View our indexing help resources for tips and guidelines.

Identify duplicate hints in Family Tree • FamilySearch

https://www.familysearch.org/en/help/helpcenter/article/what-do-i-do-with-duplicate-record-hints-in-family-tree

Please attach all record hints, even if they appear to be duplicates. If you look at each hint carefully, you usually discover differences.

Thanks for sharing your concern, and for taking the time to review all of the record hints that might apply to your ancestors. Often you can expand what you know about your ancestor as you view similar records since different collections may have slightly different indexed information. Best wishes with your continued family history efforts.