How do I correct or inform someone of a spelling error in a name?

Colin5144

Hi,

I believe the following record to be incorrect:

"England, Dorset, Parish Registers, 1538-2001", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJDH-F92N : Sat Feb 24 05:09:01 UTC 2024), Entry for Robert Cookny and Mary Dean, 19 Feb 1682.

The correct spelling for Robert Cookny and his children should be Cookney. All other details are correct.

Áine Ní Donnghaile

The record image from your URL is not viewable on FamilySearch. Only those records with images can be edited, and not all of those.
Also, standardized spelling is a very modern concept. In 1682, few people were literate, and names were spelled as they sounded to the person making the record - a cleric, priest, minister, clerk. Cookny and Cookney would sound the same. And, it's likely that the name was spelled a few other ways as well. I've found records with the same surname spelled several different ways on the same page.

Indexers are taught to index what they see. If the original record was spelled "Cookny" then the indexer would key/type "Cookny."

I checked a few other genealogy websites, and the record image is available on Ancestry.com, and the record is written "Cookny."
Hope this helps.

Jack Hern

Aine is correct. Index what you see.

As to your desire to have a 'correct' spelling - I like to utilize the predominant spelling within all sources as the primary name in the Vitals section. Do add the other versions in the AKA section below; same with nicknames (do not put these in the primary field).

Bonus - If you find a signature by the person in question, I take this as their personal contemporary spelling choice. I.E.: ww1 & 2 draft registrations - often good for a full name and sometimes a full signature.

Tennuchi Alan Cyril Edward

Two excellent answers.

Colin5144

Fair enough

Thanks all for educating me 😊