Incorrect Information about My Mother
Hello, I found incorrect Information related to my mother. It's got the wrong last name and the correct one as an alias, wrong birth year, etc it says it cannot be edited. It would not be a big deal except the name has never been her name . MacFarlane has never been her name and the parent is right but when you actually click on MacFarlane you see it doesn't match. What can I do
Answers
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@Robert72450
That record is from the Social Security Administration and the NARA index.
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States,Social_Security_Numerical_Identification_Files(NUMIDENT)_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records
FamilySearch does not have images for that record set, only the extract. It's not possible to submit an edit when FamilySearch does not possess an image.3 -
@Robert72450
Are you absolutely sure "MacFarlane" was never her last name? Perhaps she was briefly married to a Mr. MacFarlane? Or did she have a step-father or guardian named MacFarlane?I have uncovered several secrets of my family members. Some of which, I wish I hadn't.
Below is the same record on Ancestry. The advantage of Ancestry is the start dates of each name is listed.
If it is correct, then she first registered for Social Security in February 1960, at age 17, using the name Judith Ann Macfarlane. Or there is the possibility that the record is wrong.
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@Robert72450 - I'm on the wrong side of the Atlantic for extensive experience of US Social Security stuff, but I have the distinct feeling that I've seen such records where the clerks had got the data wrong on the original - I think that the names involved were so distinctive that I could work out the "other" party and became convinced that the clerk had applied the update to the wrong file. The cynic in me says that errors must have occurred, somewhere, sometime.
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It's certainly possible that the original record or a copy is wrong. The only thing we have is the extract - a partial copy - and every time a record is copied, the chance for error increases.
What we can't do is edit the copy on FamilySearch or Ancestry. @Robert72450 You can request a copy of the original as created by your mother. The process is fairly straightforward, and the price is reasonable. Judy Russell provides good instructions here:
https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2024/01/30/ordering-the-ss-5-2024-style/3 -
If this were my mother's SSN record, the first thing I would do is go to the source of the data that other sites got their indexes from, and that's NARA.
So, a search here shows there are three records for her SSN:
Looks like there are two applications - one may have had errors and was the source of the index then used by FS or Ancestry, one may have been corrective.
As Áine recommended, getting to the original document(s) is always best.
In genealogy, records are often wrong or contain errors. The key is to research them and try and understand what occurred. I understand that instinctive reaction when encountering a record that has errors for such a close relative, but try nor to let it fluster you. Often, there is nothing "to do" other than learn the true facts and work with the information we find.
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For clarity - here's the full screenshot of that SS Application and Claims entry showing all the names. Judith's maiden name was Vincent, as was her father's surname. Two married surnames are listed for Judith: Regan and MacFarlane.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6KMV-VCZ3?lang=en
In the Connecticut marriage index, William A Regan married Judith A MacFarlane in 1961.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VWRY-CK4?lang=en
And moving back a few years, on 26 March 1958, Judith Vincent married Hartley MacFarlane. Found on MyHeritage.com:
Marriage Mar 26 1958 Branford, New Haven, Connecticut, United States Groom Hartley Macfarlane Bride Judith Vincent Hope this helps.
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And, just to close the loop, Hartley R MacFarlane and Judith MacFarlane divorced in Orange County, Florida, in May 1961. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VKH4-BBN?lang=en
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