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Are we supposed to index entries with the same names?

Cade Joshua Allred
Cade Joshua Allred ✭
December 8, 2022 edited August 16, 2024 in Get Involved/Indexing

When I'm working on a batch like https://www.familysearch.org/indexing/batch/4c23acc5-7135-4878-86b5-ff5499e3445b, do I index the same names twice? There are lots of different entries with the same name, and the names are basically all I'm indexing.

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Best Answer

  • Melissa S Himes
    Melissa S Himes ✭✭✭✭✭
    December 8, 2022 Answer ✓

    I can't see your batch, perhaps it has been submitted?

    When there is no other information on the entry that makes the name different, like a different date, or the name of a spouse, or perhaps even a different page number or book number, then you would not index the EXACT same name more than once. If the name has a different middle initial or spelling, then it would be unique.

    The program should be automatically deleting any of the same names when they are next to one another. So, if you enter 15 John Smith's, your progress will only show as 1 record entered.

    Usually the project instructions will have something in them about this under the What To Remember About This Project section.

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Answers

  • jimstoll1
    jimstoll1 ✭
    December 9, 2022

    Each and every piece of information--e g, book and page numbers, amounts paid or lot numbers, etc--on a line must be identical to another line to legitimately not index the line, even if the names are identicall, if I am reading correctly. It is not just the name, it is the whole "package" of information. Each unique "package" of information should be included even if the names are identical..

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  • Melissa S Himes
    Melissa S Himes ✭✭✭✭✭
    December 10, 2022

    @jimstoll1 IF there are fields to index for book or page numbers, amounts paid, or lot numbers, then you would create an entry for each identical name. But, if you are only indexing names, then you would not.

    For instance, the Boston Tax Records Project only asks the indexer to provide the Year, Given Name, Surname, Prefix. While there is a lot more information beside each name on the image, you only index each unique name once. The search will turn up the record and the researcher will be able to see the whole package of information.

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