Susan Smith

I think I can say, having followed the path over at familysearch.org ref Billye Jo Smith's SMITH father and grandfather and great-grandfather AND great great grandfather , that I am not a blood relative of Ronnie Joe Spooner

My SMITH came out of Georgia around 1870 into Texas

His memorial (online) says he married Charlotte J Mitchell Hutcheson 1889–1983 (m. 1913) and that 1913 is what I used. The date of marriage needs to be researched to verify it, but the child listed on his memorial was born 1915 so it seems reasonable.

As it turns out (I just looked) there is a record for the marriage, Date 25 Feb 1913 King, Washington, United States and the citation for that is

"Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKNY-TGV8 : Sat Oct 21 08:25:02 UTC 2023), Entry for John C Hutcheson and Lottie Mitchell, 25 Feb 1913.

John and his many citations can be found at https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LYT1-RZX. You can also access his wife from there

This is one of the three mis-placed citations: Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 05 January 2020), memorial page for William Avery Daves (28 Mar 1869–21 Apr 1938), Find A Grave Memorial no. 46430622, citing Newlin Cemetery, Newlin, Hall County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by Edith Guynes Stanley (contributor 47114458).

Anyone else who is fixing Errors and Warnings ref to Sarah's profile, will again sooner or later see the mis-placed citations and will either once again remove them or they will send you a message about this mis-placement indicating it needs to be corrected

Whether or not the vitals of date and place are correct as given at the memorial site is up to you to determine with searches for *documentation* of birth place and date, and death place and date.

The dispute is between you and your desires and the policies of WikiTree's computer programming which is a reflection of the policies of WikiTree.

Buona fortuna in what's left of 2023 and again in 2024.

Yes, it was Paddy's question, but it was the several comments / answers that provoked me ... having picked up on ideas in G2G and in reading census and other documents, the idea that there is consistency in spelling is unrealistic. Not sure that's the correct word (unrealistic), but the reality is that any consisency in spelling in documents that I have seen depends on the apparent spelling skills of whomever filled in the document and / or whomever was the informant.

. I've read census in USA from 1850 to 1950 and have noted the variations. (There used to be used the Soundex, used for surnames, I don't know if you are familiar with that, or have heard about it? And the Soundex will also produce a range of surnames spelled variously.) But many documents are produced by informants and clerks. In general, the clerk probably just accepts however the informant spells it.

As for skills in spelling, there's a lot of people still yet whose ideas about how to spell ... maybe 10 yrs my junior in age and yet they can't spell ...and grammar is unknown, a stranger to them. Fortunately, there are programs that assist in grammar and in spelling, although I don't know if they can be used on anything except a computer, or laptop, or notebook.

As for addressing my thoughts to you, you are a recognized presnce at WikiTree and in G2G. You have name recognition.

My thoughts were about the apparent lack of consistency in the spelling the surname that Paddy pointed out. I myself see no reason to be disturbed by the surname spelling variations, but I've had a lot of experience with that "issue" in the last 30+ years. I think acquiring the proofs of birth, death, burial, marriage, divorce, military service, census and etc is much more imporant than any multiple variations in surname spelling

But my reading was that Paddy was not objecting to or discussing inconsistencies in surname spellings themselves, but was instead pointing out that the WikiTree Search behaves inconsistently in returning results depending on exactly which variant is submitted as the search target. I've added a comment to that effect, and perhaps Paddy will confirm or refute it.

If the search was being conducted by a human clerk who was actively searching and pulling up files from a cabinet, the normal reaction of a dissatified customer / client might be registered with that clerk

Perhaps Ales can produce an ingenious filtering system, the 1st results will be displayed with a Y/N option to also retrieve variants 1, 2, 3, ... n

However, on the Index (of any surname), through which a search can be conducted, there is an Options section, by which one can filter what results are acceptable.

“Vive la difference!” seems the better mental viewpoint

As for Canadian records, if you have a person in mind, a profile even, you can search for records that are about them at familysearch.org. That is where I go for documentation. That resource includes files of people in Europe, Australia, etc and Canada etc. Citations for those records is also created by familysearch.org and can be copied into the profile at WikiTree.

I have looked at familysearch.org for Alexander Latimer Dixon or Dickson . His profile as Alexander Latimer Dixon is seen at https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/sources/LHV5-MXK

two or more persons having the same exact name is not that unusual, and are likely to have conflicting dates and locations. This often indicates they are two distinct and different people. It indicates that the most careful research should be conducted and that the research be done as if it was already established they are different people. If the research is conducted with the belief they are the same person, vital information is often ignored or overlooked. Their belief complicates the search for the facts.

Sometimes this confilict in dates and locatons is due to errors of the person who originated the information whether at WikiTree, or familysearch.org or some other website where geneaology profiles are created.

:Alexander's profile at familysearch.org has this biography (computer generated) -When Alexander Latimer Dixon was born on 27 December 1826, in South Carolina, United States, his father, James Dickson, was 51 and his mother, Mary Ann Freeman, was 32. He married Nancy Jane Blanchard after 1852, in South Carolina, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 9 daughters. He lived in Anderson, Anderson, South Carolina, United States in 1850 and Corner Township, Anderson, South Carolina, United States in 1880. He died on 15 February 1908, in Iva, Anderson, South Carolina, United States, at the age of 81, and was buried in Anderson, South Carolina, United States.

if you do not accept Alex's parents as James Dixon and Mary Ann Freeman, I don't know what to suggest. True, it is possible they are adoptive parents, or they are foster parents or James is a blood relative but not a parent, or even that Mary Ann is a blood relative, but not a parent. To determine what the relationship is would require the most careful research.

You CAN provisionally accept them and in the section on the upper right hand of the right side margin of the profile you can mark James and Mary Ann as Uncertain. That's after you profile them as his parents. You can access their profiles through Alexander's profile at familysearch.org

I hope this has clarified matters and answered your questions.

IF it is proven that both Henry are the one and same Henry, then the two profiles can be merged Biography has its own purposes https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Biographies

If you work slowly and read the page instructions etc you'll gain skill at it. Viva la Challenge!!

Keep in mind that mistakes can be "fixed", usually fairly easily. The software does let you know of possible errors at the bottom of the page. There are times you cannot SAVE because you need to address some potential error in the profile, but it is explanatory

There's HELP: pages on just about every factor - possibly all of them.

Genealogically defined is where there is at least one document that ties a parent / child relationship, and at least one document that ties one spouse to the other spouse. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Genealogically_Defined. Be sure to include a citation with the address of the source you used. A source is where you found the fact or in what item you found it (letters, obits, wills, deeds, city or county or state or federal records, census, death cert or notice, burial records, etc and etc) and the citation has the address of the source which is usually a URL text html https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Help:Sources

What was the oath of allegiance after the Civil War? The Oath reads in part: I, [name], do solemnly swear, in the presence of Almighty God, that I will henceforth faithfully support, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and the union of states thereunder; and that I will, in like manner, abide and faithfully support all acts of Congress passed during ... https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/exhibitions/timeline/lawmakers-loyalty-and-ironclad-oath-1864

"Georgia, Reconstruction Registration Oath Books, 1867-1868," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGLZ-18S3 : 17 March 2018), Thomas G Black, 31 Jul 1867; citing Voter Registration, Georgia, United States, Georgia Department of Archives and History, Morrow, Georgia; FHL microfilm.

I'll look again at residence see if there's something for 1860. 1850 and 1870 Census are on the profile.

WHY is his father listed as Connally? You should write up an explanation for this and put it in the Biography section - we are strongly encouraged to substantiate or support any statement - there appears to be no reason other than that Thomas' mother apparently had two children out of wedlock, and was later married to a Mr Wilson (children credited) and this leads to the question about where Mr Connally came from and who is he -- would need a record of marriage or at least a census showing Mr Connally and Thomas' mother living together