Normally in genealogical writing it is suggested that authors make it clear whether a location refers to a town\/city or county. Clarity matters. Not all writers do that, partially because they think it’s “obvious” or don’t realize the possibility for confusion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A county-wide publication of biographies in the 1980s included a piece on a relative. The book appeared to be one of those where family members submit material, pay for their copy of the book, and it gets published. There is no copy-editing either for style or fact. That’s fine as long as the user of the material is aware of that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being somewhat familiar with some of the areas discussed in the article, I knew the author was referring to a county even when that word was not used. But someone unfamiliar with the area would not. There were locations in a variety of states referenced in the biography and given what I noticed about places I was aware of, I concluded that there could be other potentially confusing references as well. I transcribed the document as it was written. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It will take some work to determine whether Des Moines, Iowa, meant the county or the city within that state. “Hancock, Illinois,” could mean the county or perhaps even a township of that name located in a county other than Hancock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n