search

FreeUKGen / MyopicVicar

MyopicVicar (short-sighted clergyman!) is an open-source genealogy record database and search engine. It powers the FreeREG database of parish registers, the FreeCEN database of census records, the next version of FreeBMD database of Civil Registration indexes and other Genealogical applications.
44 stars 15 forks source link

Searching for Archaic names - discussion. #792

Open Sherlock21 opened 8 years ago

Sherlock21 commented 8 years ago

I am transcribing some 1600’s marriages right now. And it occurs to me how strange the spellings of the first names and surnames are.

How will they fair with our Search tool?

A search on Surname only would cope with all the ODD First names we have of course but if one is researching backwards though surnames that are modern ones, then what? How does one make the transition to things like these example Surnames?

--and I am from the Same County as these!

ADAMTHWAIT SIDGWICKE BLAYKLINGE RYTHARDSON etc.

I can’t imagine any modern spellings of surnames that would give me a clue to go for these unless i used * in both names fields - then how would that hammer the system?

I tried Soundex. with the following lack of success.

for Blakley - (a common modern surname) i did not pick up BLAYKLINGE and tried for Richardson, I did not pick up RYTHARDSON

We could really come up with an idea. - or is there little point in Transcribing records from this vintage.? these are from Sedbergh,Marriages 1595 to 1610.

edickens commented 8 years ago 
This is something that we have already suggested for a future
version, perhaps even V2.  The idea is that a transcriber can leave
an alternative to a name and the search will use that as well.  For
example my grandfather's marriage was recorded as Wickens 

so needs to be entered as an alternative.  Then asking for Dickens
will find Wickens.

This system can also be used for Aliases.

But we have not discussed how this would work.

E
Captainkirkdawson commented 8 years ago

Keep transcribing

PatReynolds commented 8 years ago

Wildcard should give some help, very soon.

Sherlock21 commented 8 years ago

Very true, but there needs to be strict limits on what the Researcher can do. Else the whole set of records can be systematically downloaded!

edickens commented 8 years ago

If we are really worried about someone downloading a full set of transcriptions (images would be one at a time), then we need to include some coding similar to that used by Ancestry. They analyse the log looking for a rapid or repeated set of searches. But I think that if someone can be bothered to go to all that trouble, then we can't really stop them. Open access? E

DeniseColbert commented 1 year ago

Add to help once wildcard searching is working, also Names section will help identify archaic.