General Chat

Top tip - using the Genes Reunited community

Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!

  • The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
  • You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
  • And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
  • The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.

Boards

Quick Search

Single word search

Tools

Findmypast DNA Banner

Icons

  • New posts
  • No new posts
  • Thread closed
  • Stickied, new posts
  • Stickied, no new posts

Another Ancestry question!

Login to Add Reply Watch This
ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

Hawthorn

Hawthorn Report 15 Jan 2010 13:50

Has anyone encounted strange entries on Ancesrty?

I have recently been looking for a birth and one gave the district as Durham S E that's fine but then the county is given as "Durham, Cumberland" . . . . Cumberland is a long way from Durham!

Another one gives the district as Claro then the County as "Yorkshire/Northumberland/Westmoorland" . . . . why give three Counties many miles apart!

Are these mistakes or am I missing something?

Hawthorn

Hawthorn Report 15 Jan 2010 15:31

PigletsPal - I understand what you mean but the births I was looking at were in the 1920's & '30's !

They must simply be mistakes.

+++DetEcTive+++

+++DetEcTive+++ Report 15 Jan 2010 15:32

I don't think they are mistakes, just something to do with registration districts and counties eg

(deleted) Smith
Mother's Maiden Surname: Marsters
Date of Registration: Oct Nov Dec 1916
Registration district: Nottingham
Registration county: Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire

County boundarys have changed over the years. Perhaps this could be an explanation to aid searching? If in doubt, look at the original page they were transcribed from which just gives the Reg district.

Researching:
Dormant member as from 20 Sep 2019 . Click on my board name to send a message

Hawthorn

Hawthorn Report 15 Jan 2010 15:54

Hi DET - County boundries have indeed changed over the years, but Nottinghamshire is next to Derbyshire and is slightly understandable. The births I looked at were miles & miles apart with boundries no where near each other.

I wish there were a facility to correct these entries.

There is a facility on the 1911 census to notify them of any mistakes. I recently found one and they corrected it within a few days.

Teddys Girl

Teddys Girl Report 15 Jan 2010 16:15

Looked up a birth yesterday gave as Durham SE London, know this person was born in London.

Helen in Kent

Helen in Kent Report 15 Jan 2010 19:20

There are errors on Ancestry, as there are on all the sites, I have found, which doesn't help us sleuths! I can only assume that registered events were grouped into several counties for administration, I've got used to it now and just try to read it all properly. But I love Ancestry as they have helped me a great deal! Now if you want errors, jut check out Family search and its optimistic contributers from across the pond, or indeed the 1911 census! I emailed them some errors when it was first online and they haven't changed them yet!

Researching:
Locke, Rochester, Portsea, Derby