Norway Church Books are indexed incorrectly
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6839-N74S?treeref=K8TV-K5D&cid=fs_email
This source for Andreas Peder Peterson's marriage stated that the groom’s father was Gudmond and the bride’s father was Dalbon. The column where these names is written has the header “Hvem Forlovende” which translates to best man or maid of honor, not father. My presumption is that this was indexed by a non-Norwegian and the index form had a blank area for groom’s father and bride’s father. The indexer maybe presumed this was the father’s name column and entered that name.
I edited the father’s’ names on this source but have a feeling that this entire book was indexed in the same manner. If so, someone may accept the father’s names when they attach the source to an individual who doesn’t have a known father causing larger problems. I’m bringing this to your attention because it seems like a bigger issue than just for me.
I see some scenarios that Family Search can correct.
1. The index form has an area for groom and bride parents which are not recorded on these books. Whoever prepares the indexing should check that the fill in the blank information can be sourced from the original document and make adjustments to fit the source as needed.
2. This was not indexed by someone familiar with the Norwegian language. Indexing should be done by only those who speak the language on the sources.
3. Nobody bothered to use an online translator to find out the meaning of “Hvem Forlovende” so this larger problem possibly looms over many records.
Thanks for letting me send this feedback. Don’t hesitate to contact me.
Answers
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Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We do not typically correct indexing errors, particularly when the record can be edited by users as is the case with this collection.
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