The number one comment I'm getting from the proofers is that many of the transcribers
appear to be working too fast and not looking over the entire certificate before
submitting.
When you transcribe, you should read through ALL the names on the certificate before
typing the first one. Often the deceased and father will have the same surname, or the
deceased and the informant, or the informant and the physician, or a member of the family
is listed in the undertaker spot on the lower right. Sometimes the cemetery is a family
graveyard giving yet another instance of a surname on the certificate.
There are many places we should look for letter comparisons. If you can't tell if an
initial is a capital L or a capital S, is there another place on the certificate that uses
one of these? M and W are often hard to tell apart, but looking to see if White or Male
are in the race and gender fields might confirm or eliminate one of those choices.
Here is a link that give examples of how a letter might be written:
http://amberskyline.com/treasuremaps/oldhand.html
I'll send more links as I find them. In the meantime, please take your time on each
document. Look all around for clues, post requests for help to the decipher list if you
are unsure. If you have an image that seems out of focus and is making it difficult to
read the names, please contact Sherri Hall, our new Imaging Administrator,
ldrbelties(a)earthlink.net.
Please, please, doublecheck everything before selecting SUBMIT. And DO NOT use your enter
key to submit. Get in the habit of using your mouse on that button and you'll have
very few hasty submissions.
Thanks!
--Sheryl Slaughter
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