How do I correct or inform someone of a spelling error in a name?
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.
Best Answer
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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.2
Answers
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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.
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Two excellent answers.
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Fair enough
Thanks all for educating me 😊
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"Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDLN-XXJ : Sat Mar 09 14:48:59 UTC 2024), Entry for Landen Curtis and Martha Reed, 26 Apr 1838. Please review this record. After close scrutiny the given name "Landen" is "Louden". Compare "n"s and "u"s in the document. Lower case "n"s are small as compared to lower case "u"s in other records on the page. The later spelling "Louden" is most likely correct.
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It looks as if editing is enabled on this record (click through to the image and you will see pencil icons on the Index Data), have you tried making the correction yourself?
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