Indexing - Should I Laugh or Cry?

Now that Ancestry has seemed to clean up it's stupid census link errors, I have a bone to pick about the indexing.

It seems the trained monkeys who are indexing census, have invented a place called "Gland of Malta." Seriously:

Frank Smith:
Birth Year:	abt 1793
Age in 1870:	77
Birthplace:	Gland of Malta
Home in 1870:	Castleton, Richmond, New York
Race:	White
Gender:	Male

It's funny, but when I look at the link, I see "Island of Malta." Stuff like this really tries my patience.

But imagine my surprise when I found another record, this a death certificate.

This is what I found in the indexing:

Name:	Not Named Smith
Death Date:	27 Dec 1916
Death Location:	Franklin
Residence Location:	Franklin
Age:	71
Gender:	Male
Ethnicity:	White
Birth Date:	15 Jun 1845
Birth Location:	Harrison
Father's Name:	Frank C Smith
Father's Birth Location:	Kentucky
Mother's Name:	Agnes B Chinn
Mother's Birth Location:	Kentucky

I mean, really, who goes through 71 years without a first name? No one. His name, Frank B. Smith is clearly written on the death certificate.

Now, if I am looking for a death certificate and I see something like "Not Named," I tend to skip over it, figuring it is a stillborn. Of course, a closer look shows that the Not Named is 71 years old and a closer look shows his name clearly written.

I still don't know whether to laugh or cry!


Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes