Do we refer to previous pages for dates when indexing?

PatrickCox6

https://www.familysearch.org/indexing/batch/c6170d7e-36ba-4f7a-a54e-ce44938dbbf5

Australia, Albany—Inward Passenger Lists, 1873–1924[M3KY-73H] - this batch is only viewable for Australians, I think, but my question is for all records/batches.

When indexing/reviewing, if there are no dates on a page (or only one for departure and none for arrival), do we look at the previous page/s to check if they have dates that can be used?

Thanks!

maryellenstevensbarnes1

Hi@PatrickCox6, without being able to look, I would say yes to check reference pages but be very careful there are enough headings & information to be sure those pages are in sequence. Mary😎

PatrickCox6

Thanks Mary! Sometimes the pages are numbered and easy to see that they are in sequence, but this batch is a bit less obvious.

KeeJoyceAnn1

@PatrickCox6, you're right, I was unable to view your batch, but be sure to check the PI and field help for the date field to see if the issue is addressed. It could be different for each project. If I am not certain on the sequence of the reference images, I would mark it blank.

PatrickCox6

Thanks @KeeJoyceAnn1 The PI and Field Helps don't mention anything for this issue in this batch that I could see, but I've seen other posts on this forum that do say that some batches (mainly US Muster Rolls I think) do have mention of it. So, does that mean only use dates from the Reference Images if it is specifically mentioned in the PI?

KeeJoyceAnn1

@PatrickCox6

Not explicitly, but as maryellenstevensbarnes1 pointed out, be very careful. The fact that there are no page numbers and no other obvious indicators, I would probably mark the field blank.

PatrickCox6

Thanks @KeeJoyceAnn1 and @maryellenstevensbarnes1.

So if it's not obvious that the Reference Images are in sequence and provide definite information, it's best to not use them, and any future researcher can make up their own mind about it.

Cheers!🙂