Wonder of wonders! I am indexing my own extended family names, and I know there are some spelling e

LegacyUser

Wonder of wonders! I am indexing my own extended family names, and I know there are some spelling errors in the names from one card (census) to the next. Should I correct, or leave them as they are?

Melissa S Himes

You must index what is on the document, even if you suspect that there are spelling errors. I hope that you will join the group @Indexing Chat​! We have nearly 1500 members now asking and answering questions and sharing stories. It is always a great find when you get to index the documents of your own family name.

Camilla Prater

I agree with @Melissa S Himes​. I have family members in my tree with different spellings of their surname, sometimes because they changed the spelling ​due to grudges and things like that. It's just part of their story.

Angelica Louise Hollis

Spelling variations can be valuable family history clues. I know a family that knows it is their specific family line because they always use two Ts in their name and not one T that everyone else uses.