Due to the passage of time, some original records are difficult to read. Writing fades, pages get torn, mice chew on paper, etc. There may have been entries that the indexer or transcriber could only partially read. How are those entries put in the database? Where are they put in a published book?
You need to know–because there’s always a chance that partial entry is for your person.
Blanks were used for entries that were totally unreadable and dashes were used for partially readable entries in this index of Hamilton County, Ohio, marriages.
3 Responses
I guess it never occurred to me that some of the information might not all be there. Thank u 4 reminding us.
Perhaps some of the old Hamilton County records were difficult to read due to the destruction that happened there. Maybe the original books were damaged so badly that the transcribers could not make out the names. These partial entries are ‘better than nothing!’
My great grandparents were married in Hamilton County, Ohio in 1850. Their record in the court house is of the “restored” records and is transcribed correctly. I also have their marriage record in the church books. I obtained these records from the FamilySearch microfilms.
I have no doubt that they were difficult to read and could only be partially transcribed. That was really what the tip was about–being aware of partial entries and how they appear in a printed or online reference.