We continue to receive e-mail asking why we won't make corrections
to errors in transcriptions.
Please take a look at my previous article on this topic...
http://www.interment.net/column/2006/02/our-policy-on-correcting-errors.html
The most important point is that transcriptions are not meant
to be "open documents" where the public, or even ourselves,
are allowed to make corrections. Rather it's a snapshot of someone's
effort to record information they found elsewhere.
A genealogist wants to know what was recorded on a tombstone,
or in a sexton's records. That's another important reason why
we don't make error changes.
It could be that the tombstone is inscribed with errors, or
the sexton's records contains errors. Even if you know that
information is incorrect, the genealogist still wants to see
what information is out there, correct or incorrect, and then
decide what information to rely on.
We are trying to support exactly that. To let the genealogist
decide. That's why we don't allow anyone else to make corrections
to these transcriptions.
Now, typing errors is a different matter. But it's not possible
for us to determine what is a typing error versus incorrect
information from a tombstone or sexton record. Hence, we need
the author of the transcription to advise. So when you notify
us of an error, we contact that author, and let them decide.
If that author feels he or she transcribed the information accurately,
then we'll leave the transcription alone.
But what if the author doesn't respond to our inquiry? It could
be he or she has since changed their e-mail address and has
not informed us of the change. We've also had many authors pass
away since their last contact with us. In that case, we need
proof it was a typing error, and not an error on the original
record.
I realize that if you saw your mother's burial info on this
website, and noticed incorrect information, it becomes an emotional
issue. But remember that Interment.net was not meant to memorialize
the deceased, rather it's meant to be a genealogical reference.
So please keep in mind proper genealogical protocol, which is
to transcribe records character-for-character, and not add editorial
modification.
