Should I record dates that are incorrect in the record?
I am indexing a Naturalization Records from 1867–1943 and have come across a birth year that I know cannot be correct. The birth year is for the husband of the principal person and it is 1921. Their marriage date is 1914 and they start having kids in 1915. 1921 is the year they immigrated to the US. I have no idea what to put in the spouse's year of birth. I have no idea what to put.
Should I leave it blank, put 1921, or is there a way to flag it for someone with more experience to look over.
I am working on record US, New York, Eastern District—Naturalization Records, 1867–1943 [Part H] [MQJD-5FF]
I have no idea what to put here as I just started doing indexing.
Best Answer
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You index what you see, even if it's incorrect. Mistakes like this aren't common, but they do happen. You could go another 10,000 records and not see this same mistake.
I also looked over the entry. Looks good, except for the record place. On Petitions for Naturalizations, the record place is Brooklyn (or whichever city is at the top), New York, United States of America. On Declarations of Intentions, the place is New York, United States of America. There is no record place on the Oath Of Allegiance. The record place is also exclusive, among the current Naturalization projects, to New York.4
