Should I index only the bolded surname? Or should I index all of the surnames listed in the line?
I'm working on the "US—City Directories, 1903–1935 [Part N] [MQR3-36K]" project, and I'm confused about which surname(s) to put in the "Surname" field. In this specific project, there are often multiple people listed with the same surname. These instances are usually indicated by listing the surname in a line by itself and then listing the first names of the people who all have that last name in the following lines.
Occasionally, I will come across a surname "line" with a bolded surname and then one or more alternate spellings of that surname. For example—and this example is completely fabricated by me and not an example from the documents—I could come across a surname
"line" something like "Louis see Lewis and Luis". So in the surname field of this project, should I index all of the variations of the surname, separating each one with "Or"? Or should I only index the bolded surname?
I would appreciate any help/information anyone can provide. Thank you!
Answers
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If you have "Louis see Lewis and Luis," you will not index that. What you'll do is index all names under the name Louis until the next unique surname like Marks. The see part is a finding aid for the viewer of the directory that tells them if they can't find a person under Louis, they should check Lewis and Luis.
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Thank you! I appreciate your help! :)
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it is, however, a little bit confusing because the project instructions DO SAY list all variations separated by OR…
As a reviewer, if someone has followed the instructions, I leave it alone. I also leave it alone if they DIDN'T include all the variations. It's not going to hurt either way.
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@VictoriaZollinger, when a directory says something like "Lewis, see also Louis and Luis", it is specifically saying that the people listed below that heading do not have the "see also" names. If they did, they would not be listed here. Therefore, it is perfectly logical and straightforward that all of the people listed under Lewis should be indexed as Lewis and only as Lewis.
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