FamilySearch Indexing-Spanish Records-Need to change instructions, or data fields

LegacyUser

ShirleyG said: Having researched in Spanish records for many years, I find the instructions need to be changed either to reflect the correct information or the data fields need to be changed.

Baptismal records data fields say birth date, but the instructions are showing the baptismal date. The birth date is usally later in the same document-after nacio.

Burial records have the same problem. Burial records will give burial date and death date. But the instructions say to use the burial date but the data field says death date.

It's very confusing to those of us who are indexing and arbitrating, when we know where to find the birth or death date, but instructions with images show the baptismal or burial date. They are not the same.

Any chance of getting this corrected?

Thanks for all you do.

LegacyUser

Ingrid Frehner said: I have passed on your suggestions to the people who set up the project.

LegacyUser

ShirleyG said: Thank you for forwarding my suggestion to those who set up the projects. It seems to be an issue with ALL Spanish speaking related Catholic church records. My husband's ancestry is from New Mexico and Mexico, so I am very familiar with the format of the Catholic church records in Spanish and Latin.

Most of the Spanish church records, regardless of locality (Mexico, Central American countries, South American countries, Philippines, Spain, etc) used the same format either in Latin or Spanish.

Most recently I was arbitrating a Philippines catholic church burial record, which the indexer had, per instructions, but the burial date in the data field which said death day, month, year. So per instructions, I will arbitrate as the way the indexer did it, but it really isn't the death date. Hope that makes sense.

Same problem when I did Guatemalan church records.

Thank you

EllsworthBryanW

New Data Fields for Catholic Church Records (baptismal and marriage)

1. The many records helpful in breaking through brick walls has come thru the additional information not indexed but on the original record. These Catholic Church records in Mexico and Spain (who knows about other Spanish speaking countries) many times contain both the paternal and maternal grandparents of the baptized child or even of the bride and groom. Having this 3rd generation is worth a million bucks. Today I found looking into the FamilySearch hints a 3 baptismal records of children of my wife's great grandparents which contained the names of all four grandparents of the child being baptized. This type of information never has been indexed before. I have searched for 5 years for this next generation----it brought a joy to me seldom experienced.
2. In the Catholic Church at least in Mexico has the custom of the baptizing Catholic Priest to give the child a religious name in addition to the given name selected by the parents. For instance Paula Martinez Heredia was baptized as Maria Espedita Paula Martinez Heredia; Gerarda Martinez Heredia was baptized as Maria Gerarda Hora de Jesus Martinez Heredia. The religiously inclined accept this new name as their own official name even though it does not appear on civil records. So which name do we use in FamilyTree? Even using 6 given names plus the standard paternal and maternal surnames is cumbersome. But rather than giving an Alternative name under the Other section there needs to be under Details there needs to be where to put the religious name as well as civil records name because they will use both depending on who or where is asking.
3. The Standard Civil Records custom of using both the paternal and maternal Surnames needs to be fully adopted and clearly explained in Indexing instructions for those indexers not familiar with this custom.

Bryan Ellsworth

Mirevo

Bryan, thank you for sharing your experience it is rewarding!!

FamilySearch Indexing-Spanish Records-Need to change instructions, or data fields-by Legacy User/ShirleyG:

Please post batch number or batch ID, when you find discrepancy between the project instructions and what is on the records to report it to our internal department. Changes may be possible depending on how far from being completed the project is for changes to happen.