Posts in March 10, 2017

Incorrect spellings, incorrect transcriptions, and difficult-to-read handwriting create index entries for names that can be difficult to find. One of the more difficult variants to find is one where the first letter has been read incorrectly as an entirely different letter that does not even sound like the original letter. A family with the last name of Demarah in the 1900 census in upstate New York State is indexed as “Lemarah.” The “D” does look like an “L.” It originally took me forever to find it in the index.