You know it's bad enough when you can't find something because of something you neglected to look for, but when it's the census taker, transcriber, or indexer - or sometimes a combination of them - you feel like they are totally working against you. In 1850, did someone consciously say or think: "I'm going to make it very difficult for someone to find this record in 2012."
Did the town clerks in Massachusetts say, let's make everyone search by town (even if they don't know the town) instead of the county. Yes, I know Massachusetts has town records, but still, can't the towns within a county cooperate? For instance, I am searching for a birth record for William Arasmus Percival, born about 1842 in Massachusetts, most likely in Hampshire county, since that is where his parents were living. However, when I checked a town against the 1855 Massachusetts state census, I didn't find it on the Massachusetts Vital Records site. Why? Because whomever transcribed that census spelled it Williamsburgh instead of Williamsburg.
I need all the help I can get, not red herrings.
In a more positive light, my database hit 33,333 individuals last night!
Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes
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