Reference Centre, Planning

Errors in Published Genealogies,
Charles Dimond

A search of Pallot's marriage index as transcribed for and posted in the search results on Ancestry.com produced a marriage for a Charles Dimond and Catherine Paterson during 1830 at Rappington, Somerset.  During research conducted many years previous, the same marriage had been found in the original parish register of Paddington, London.  However, the place of origin of the bride's family had not been discovered and it was hoped that a search of Ancestry.com would possibly turn up a lead for that lineage.

Based on the Pallott's Marriage Index entry a microfilm of the Rappington, Somerset Bishop's Transcripts was ordered from the Family History Library in Utah and examined at our local Family History Centre.  What a disappointment!  There was no marriage at Rappington for Charles and Catherine.

A new search for the same marriage conducted some months later on Ancestry.com in Pallot's marriage index turned up an image of a second index card, this time indexed under the bride's name, Catherine Paterson.  Very clearly that one card records that the marriage took place at Paddington 1830.  Then, at that time being able to gain access to the image of the index card for Charles Dimond one could see that the typewriting on it was very difficult to decipher, but, Paddington can be gleaned from it.

As of today, 1 July 2015, it would appear that the original error in the searchable index of Pallot's marriage index as posted on Ancestry.com has now been compounded and separate searches under the names of Charles Dimond and Catherine Paterson return the same result - marriage at Raddington, Somerset. Whereas, the marriage took place at St. James, Paddington, Middlesex on 8 February 1830.