Kind contributors - and frustrations

[William Douglas]

Much of the Douglas Archives are built on the contributions of visitors to the website, whether they are providing new information or correcting existing entries.  I welcome these, ever mindful of the advice I was given 35 years ago: GIGO, garbage in, garbage out.

So, if I don't understand something I will query it to ensure what finally goes onto the page is correct. But I think my intellectual powers and ability to decipher have been eroded.

Today's frustration has been around someone who paraphrases her contribution by, apparently, placing commas where words would be helpful.  So who would like to interpret female name, male name is daughter of XXX ?

Now, not everyone knows this, but I live in Scotland, and do not speak, or write, American so when I ask what CO, IN 16 means I am only asking for some help. I think Co is County, IN is Indiana, but the 16?  I am still waiting.

This follows my receiving a long list of names, each followed by the heading Children and then two more names with earlier dates of birth. Turns out the words son of, or daughter of  were missing.

I always have a backlog of contributions, so wasting time working out things does not add to the pleasure of being a family historian!

[William Douglas]

Now I am worried.

Have I been interpreting DE as Deutschland ?

But, thank you.

[Russell Lynn Drysdale]

AK - Alaska AL - Alabama AR - Arkansas AZ - Arizona CA - California CO - Colorado CT - Connecticut DC - Washington DC DE - Delaware FL - Florida GA - Georgia HI - Hawaii IA - Iowa ID - Idaho IL - Illinois IN - Indiana KS - Kansas KY - Kentucky LA - Louisiana MA - Massachusetts MD - Maryland ME - Maine MI - Michigan MN - Minnesota MO - Missouri MS - Mississippi

MT - Montana NC - North Carolina ND - North Dakota NE - Nebraska NH - New Hampshire NJ - New Jersey NM - New Mexico NV - Nevada NY - New York OH - Ohio OK - Oklahoma OR - Oregon PA - Pennsylvania RI - Rhode Island SC - South Carolina SD - South Dakota TN - Tennessee TX - Texas UT - Utah VT - Vermont VA - Virginia WA - Washington WI - Wisconsin WV - West Virginia WY - Wyoming

[Russell Lynn Drysdale]

http://douglashistory.ning.com/forum/topics/the-inquisitive-party

[James David Douglas]

I just read this post and had to laugh.  I am American and have no idea what CO, IN 16 means.

[Russell Lynn Drysdale]

Well put William , very well put !