Problem with the free surname search

[JimM]

Whilst SP was down this morning I had a wee bash at the free surname search..just to see how my names have increased over the years k .

When I put in McManus I see that in the 1881 census there are only two results

When I log on and do a search the 1881 census for McManus - there are over one thousand results.

The free surname search also tell me that there are no McCammonds in the 1881 census
There must be a problem somewhere

Jim

[JustJean]

Hello Jim

There's no problem. Well...just an interpretation one. You see for some reason (perhaps someone with more knowledge can explain it!) the 1881 census indexes most often use a space between Mc and the rest of the name. If you look for Mc Manus rellies on the free surname search you'll find 1102 in 1881 alone but none in any other area. A search on McManus gives you your 2 lonely souls but plenty in the other areas. Always remember to search 1881 with a space and without a space to get the best results! I should add that I use the LDS 1881 census disks so perhaps the difference between being logged in and searching is the way SP has used this data in setting up their own databases. Again....someone else might be able to comment better on the "why" part....I just know what works for me!

Best wishes
Jean

[JimM]

Thanks Jean
I've tried that and see what you mean.. I would not have thought of that

I knew they couldn't have just disappeared 8-[

Jim

[DavidWW]

The explanation is simple

LDS rules are that information must be transcribed exactly as it appears.

Very often, with a "Mac" name there is a distinct space between the "Mac" or "Mc" and the rest of the name, hence the 1881 entries for "Mc MANUS".

Sometimes an IGI search produces both, sometimes it doesn't !!

David

[JimM]

Hi David
I think it's strange that the free surname search on SP is different from the "logged-on" version
Perhaps they should put a note telling users to put the * wildcard after Mc/Mac names to get a truer figure on the 1881.

Jim