10 May 2011

Why To Transcribe Exactly

There are many reasons to transcribe a document exactly. This letter taken from the Georgia Confederate Pension application of H. W. Rucker (and his widow) makes the point. The letter is dated 19 Sept 1925. Bennett indicates Mrs. Rucker died on 29 Sept 1925. Something is wrong. Is it the date of the letter or the date of the death? Without looking at other records, the transcriber does not know. The transcription should render it as it is.

In this case, there may be other records to allow one to determine if the date of death is correct. One will not always be that lucky.