In a message dated 8/19/2005 10:55:09 PM Central Daylight Time,
BobWScott(a)aol.com writes:
As near as I can tell, they aren't all that interested in fixing things and
that if you use their transcriptions, beware.
This isn't exactly true. A lot depends on who transcribes and how good the
microfilm is. I have seen copies that were as clear as day and others of the
same page that you couldn't read.
I have also seen India as an abbreviation for Indiana. It's on the original
census records. Remember, you are asking people who are not necessarily
genealogists to be accurate about information taken 150 years ago when many people
weren't even literate.
You have to be creative in your searches.
Ancestry DOES try to correct the mistakes. I have filled out many of the
forms to correct them. They can't fix what they don't know.
IF you find an error, tell them. I have no affiliation to Ancestry other
than I have a subscription. But like Rootsweb or any other genealogy service,
mistakes are made. Let them know so they can correct them.
Ma