Following
up on my post about my 3rd great-grandmother, Mary Smith (Some of the Perils of Online Databases – 1), here is another wrinkle I found in the various databases. This one
concerns what I think was a mixup in surnames.
Richard
Vyvyan
A
1725 baptism entry for Richard Vyvyan was found in the Cornwood, Devon, parish
baptism register.
 |
Cornwood, Devon,
1725 parish baptism register entry for Richard Vyvyan, son of Sarah Vyvyan
(source – England, Devon, Parish Registers, 1538-1912, database with images, FamilySearch,
retrieved 3 July 2010 from www.findmypast.com)
While
there is a reference to the individual of this name on the indexes of Ancestry,
FindMyPast and FamilySearch, none of them indicate an image is
available for viewing. TheGenealogist records do not go back that far so
no information is available on that website.
 |
Entry for 1725
baptism of Richard Vyvyan, Cornwood parish, Devon, on Ancestry database
 |
Entries for 1725
baptisms of Richard Vyvyan & Richard Woodward, Cornwood parish, Devon, on FindMyPast
database; image indicated available for Richard Woodward
 |
Entries for 1725
baptisms of Richard Vyvyan & Richard Woodward, Cornwood parish, Devon, on FamilySearchdatabase;
image indicated available for Richard Woodward
The
register entry showed that “the reputed father” of the child was Philip
Woodward. Interestingly, searches for an alternative name of Richard Woodward
did result in references to images on FindMyPast and FamilySearch.
 |
Entry for 1725
baptism of Richard Woodward, Cornwood parish, Devon, on FindMyPast
database, indicating parents’ names
It
is curious why only the reference to the Woodward name would result in a result
on the list. It cannot be determined whether Richard ever used the name
Woodward, or whether Philip Woodward ever married Sarah Vyvyan and acknowledged
his paternity.
Perhaps
the form used for indexing had a box for a father’s name and it was this
information that was used to slot the transcription into the index.
Remedies
If you
cannot find an individual you are sure existed, check multiple databases.
When there are discrepancies between
databases, expand your search to include all names within a time frame. That
may show that an individual could have been indexed under different names. And
it may help to find out on which database an image of the actual register entry
might be found.
