A recent request for guidance in the Hungary Exchange group on Facebook sparked my curiosity about the accuracy of the Hungarian baptismal indexes available at FamilySearch.org. I helped verify the location of her ancestor's place of birth and while reviewing the document I noticed that quite a few of the baptisms on the page had been indexed incorrectly, including the specific entry we were looking for. I decided to copy & paste the index from FamilySearch spanning three pages from the Roman Catholic parish of Fehér-Gyarmat, Szatmár megye and then transcribed a correct version of what actually appears on the original documents. I have made my corrections in RED BOLD text below.
91% of the indexed baptisms on these three pages have errors. Only three entries out of the 35 are entirely correct. Granted that this only covers three pages from one single parish, but it gives you an idea of the accuracy of the indexes we are provided with. It became very clear after transcribing these three pages that whoever indexed these for FamilySearch obviously isn't familiar with Hungary or its language. The fact that they misspelled the most common and simple Hungarian given-names, which are spelled correctly on the original document, is evident enough. Zourzainna? Gizelea? Erzibetah? I also have my suspicions that whoever indexed these records is familiar with the German Sütterlin alphabet, confusing many letters for the long S.
Where are these indexes coming from?
| FAMILYSEARCH | MINE | |||
| PAGE 31 | ||||
| Child: | Gyula | Gyula | ||
| Baptism: | 6 January 1880 | 6 January 1880 | ||
| Father: | János Pálvék | János Pálvik | ||
| Mother: | Zourzainna Kajas | Zsuzsánna Vajas | ||
| Child: | Janós | Janós | ||
| Baptism: | 10 January 1880 | 10 January 1880 | ||
| Father: | Jósef Dominyak | József Dominyák | ||
| Mother: | Julia Becsi | Julia Bécsi | ||
| Child: | Imre | Imre Géjza | ||
| Baptism: | 14 January 1880 | 14 January 1880 | ||
| Father: | Sándor Balika | Sándor Balika | ||
| Mother: | Ilona Borbat | Ilona Bernát | ||
| Child: | Erzsébet | Erzsébet | ||
| Baptism: | 29 January 1880 | 29 January 1880 | ||
| Father: | József Fábián | József Fábián | ||
| Mother: | Erzsebet Bede | Erzsébet Bede | ||
| Child: | János | János | ||
| Baptism: | 2 February 1880 | 2 February 1880 | ||
| Mother: | Lidia Kricsa | Lidia Kricsa | ||
| Child: | József | József | ||
| Baptism: | 10 February 1880 | 10 February 1880 | ||
| Mother: | Maria Lajtás | Maria Lajtár | ||
| Child: | Sándor | Sándor | ||
| Baptism: | 19 February 1880 | 19 March 1880 | ||
| Father: | János Izáko | János Szabó | ||
| Mother: | Eszter Pörök | Eszter Török | ||
| Child: | Rozália | Rozália | ||
| Baptism: | 21 March 1880 | 21 March 1880 | ||
| Father: | Gyórgy Ráto | György Rátz | ||
| Mother: | Maria Ruvzka | Mária Ruszka | ||
| Child: | Gizelea | Gizella | ||
| Baptism: | 17 April 1880 | 17 April 1880 | ||
| Mother: | Anna Lang | Anna Lang | ||
| Child: | Róza | Róza | ||
| Baptism: | 18 April 1880 | 18 April 1880 | ||
| Father: | Antal Leneveis | Antal Lencsés | ||
| Mother: | Zuzanna Német | Zsuzsánna Német | ||
| Child: | Gyula | Gyula | ||
| Baptism: | 29 April 1880 | 29 April 1880 | ||
| Father: | János Ormós | János Ormós | ||
| Mother: | Gisza Izabó | Zsuzsánna Szabó | ||
| Child: | Katalin | Katalin | ||
| Baptism: | 13 April 1880 | 13 May 1880 | ||
| Mother: | Veronka Talpos | Veronka Talpos | ||
| PAGE 32 | ||||
| Child: | Erzebét | Erzsébet | ||
| Baptism: | 18 May 1880 | 18 May 1880 | ||
| Mother: | Zsuzsánna Erdélesi | Zsuzsánna Erdélyi | ||
| Child: | Terez | Teréz | ||
| Baptism: | 20 May 1880 | 20 May 1880 | ||
| Father: | László Magyar | László Magyar | ||
| Mother: | Katalin Kevitan | Katalin Kuritán | ||
| Child: | István | István | ||
| Baptism: | 30 May 1880 | 30 May 1880 | ||
| Father: | István Ratz | István Rátz | ||
| Mother: | Zsuszanna Guhást | Zsuzsánna Juhász | ||
| Child: | Lajos | Lajos | ||
| Baptism: | 7 July 1880 | 7 July 1880 | ||
| Father: | Ferencz Gapek | Ferencz Csapek | ||
| Mother: | Julia Lencvés | Julia Lencsés | ||
| Child: | Maria Magdalena | Maria Magdolna | ||
| Baptism: | 22 July 1880 | 22 July 1880 | ||
| Father: | Agoston Drusbáezdiz | Ágoston Drusbáczky | ||
| Mother: | Zsuszanna Riskó | Zsuzsánna Riskó | ||
| Child: | Szerra | Szerena Ilona | ||
| Baptism: | 22 July 1880 | 22 July 1880 | ||
| Father: | Pál Netes | Pál Veres | ||
| Mother: | Borbála Kocsas | Borbála Kocsis | ||
| Child: | István | István | ||
| Baptism: | 6 April 1860 | 6 April 1860 | ||
| Father: | Káraly Dombrádás | Károly Dombrády | ||
| Mother: | Erzibetah Govaja | Erzsébet Gavoja | ||
| Child: | Andreás | András | ||
| Baptism: | 29 July 1880 | 29 July 1880 | ||
| Father: | Pál Bures | Pál Bures | ||
| Mother: | Julia Gógyer | Julia Tógyer | ||
| Child: | Johanna | Johanna | ||
| Baptism: | 19 August 1880 | 19 August 1880 | ||
| Mother: | Julia Lakatso | Julia Lakatos | ||
| Child: | Lajos | Lajos Ignácz Dezső | ||
| Baptism: | 6 January 1871 | 6 January 1871 | ||
| Father: | Péter Filep | Péter Filep | ||
| Mother: | Laura Kocsa | Laura Kocsis | ||
| Child: | Gyula | Gyula Jenő | ||
| Baptism: | 30 October 1880 | 30 October 1880 | ||
| Father: | Gyula Bokor | Gyula Bokor | ||
| Mother: | Matild Picsis | Matild Csiky | ||
| Child: | Marton Peter Matyas | Márton Péter Mátyás | ||
| Baptism: | 17 October 1880 | 17 October 1880 | ||
| Father: | Péter Filet | Péter Filep | ||
| Mother: | Laura Kocsis | Laura Kocsis | ||
| PAGE 33 | ||||
| Child: | Ilena | Ilona | ||
| Baptism: | 25 November 1880 | 25 November 1880 | ||
| Father: | Sándor Poszovics | Sándor Popovics | ||
| Mother: | Zsofia Miski | Zsófia Miski | ||
| Child: | Aranka Jolán | Aranka Jolán | ||
| Baptism: | 19 December 1880 | 19 December 1880 | ||
| Father: | Géza Kormos | Géza Kormos | ||
| Mother: | Emilia Szunyogi | Emilia Szunyogi | ||
| Child: | Julianna | Julianna | ||
| Baptism: | 27 December 1880 | 27 December 1880 | ||
| Father: | István Kozma | István Kozma | ||
| Mother: | Borbála Molnár | Borbála Molnár | ||
| Child: | Borbalas | Borbála | ||
| Baptism: | 27 December 1880 | 27 December 1880 | ||
| Father: | Ansal Kocsis | Antal Kocsis | ||
| Mother: | Maria Kerchet | Maria Kerekes | ||
| Child: | József | József | ||
| Baptism: | 8 January 1881 | 8 January 1881 | ||
| Father: | József Bányay | József Bányay | ||
| Mother: | Verona Péterssy | Verona Péterffy | ||
| Child: | Bertalan | Bertalan | ||
| Baptism: | 31 January 1881 | 31 January 1881 | ||
| Father: | József Szás | József Sztahura (Szászhegyesy) | ||
| Mother: | Erzsébet Tar | Erzsébet Tar | ||
| Child: | Sándor | Sándor | ||
| Baptism: | 11 March 1881 | 11 March 1881 | ||
| Father: | József Duchnooszky | József Duchnovszky | ||
| Mother: | Matild Dul | Matild Dul | ||
| Child: | István | István | ||
| Baptism: | 19 April 1881 | 19 April 1881 | ||
| Father: | Pál Kerekes | Pál Kerekes | ||
| Mother: | Kasalin Sinkovics | Katalin Sinkovics | ||
| Child: | Gyula | Gyula | ||
| Baptism: | 26 April 1881 | 26 April 1881 | ||
| Father: | Lajós Besenyödy | Lajós Besenyödy | ||
| Mother: | Karolin Szucs | Karolin Szücs | ||
| Child: | István | István | ||
| Baptism: | 5 May 1881 | 5 May 1881 | ||
| Father: | Mihály Nyizoniczki | Mihály Nyizsviczki | ||
| Mother: | Borbala Demeter | Borbala Demeter | ||
| Child: | György | György | ||
| Baptism: | 8 May 1881 | 8 May 1881 | ||
| Father: | György Deák | György Deák | ||
| Mother: | Erzébet Nagy | Erzsébet Nagy | ||
91% of the indexed baptisms on these three pages have errors. Only three entries out of the 35 are entirely correct. Granted that this only covers three pages from one single parish, but it gives you an idea of the accuracy of the indexes we are provided with. It became very clear after transcribing these three pages that whoever indexed these for FamilySearch obviously isn't familiar with Hungary or its language. The fact that they misspelled the most common and simple Hungarian given-names, which are spelled correctly on the original document, is evident enough. Zourzainna? Gizelea? Erzibetah? I also have my suspicions that whoever indexed these records is familiar with the German Sütterlin alphabet, confusing many letters for the long S.
Where are these indexes coming from?
Family Search has opportunities for individuals to transcribe written records. As I have looked through their transcriptions, I have found spelling errors and a strong lack of knowledge of he Hungarian language as well as the inability to read script. My suggestion is to get the microfiche of the original documents and comb through them. You never know what you are going to find.
ReplyDeleteSimilar is the "indexing" my father und his siblings:
ReplyDeleteIn each entry there was at least one error.
This is perhaps an intended error. They could have asked Hungarian genealogists, or at least require aquaintance with the Hungarian language.
There is an old english joke: Never mind the quality, just feel the width‼
Just produce a lot of index entries, if the things are wrongly transcribed, it does not matter, as it is unlikely, that there is a descendant of 99% of the indexed persons, so they will not be rebaptised as Mormons.
This is why it's a good idea for people with expertise to volunteer to index these records. Also, as a researcher, I would always examine the original record as someone noted.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much!
ReplyDeleteI just searched these records. Thank goodness for wildcard searches, is all I can say.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just birth records. I double-checked the handwritten passenger list of the Patria, the ship on which my Hungarian ancestors came to America in 1899, and found a new family line. Whoever entered this information on Ancestry.com missed an entire person; traveling with my 2x great-grandfather Andras Klusai and his family was his mother-in-law, Josefina Kerekes--a surname I hadn't known before. This gave me a new opportunity to pursue. Now I'm double-checking everything.
ReplyDelete