TheAncestorFiles: Individuals of Unusual Size (IOUS)

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Individuals of Unusual Size (IOUS)

First the answer, and then the question.

From: [...]
Subject: Need Records Merged
Date: February 27, 2013 9:28:23 AM EST
To: [...]

Dear Amy Tanner Thiriot,
RE: John Tanner KWJ1-K2F and MMM9-MM1
Lydia Stewart M5XK-TBR and LC3X-WJ5
Thank you for contacting FamilySearch Support. Your concern deals with individuals of unusual size (IOUS) record. There is not an easy solution at this time. Currently our database can not handle records of this size. We kindly ask for your patience and understanding until increased functionalities become available in new FamilySearch. At a future time, the expectation is that you, as the patron, will be able to independently resolve these issues as tools and technology are improved.
Sincerely,
FamilySearch Data Administration
----------------------
(CaseID:[...])
----------------------

Several days ago Claudia, the Tanner cousin who donated the Tanner Family Daguerreotype to the Church History Library, contacted me because someone had put a picture of John Joshua Tanner in one of John Tanner's FamilySearch Family Tree entries. For some reason it looked like I had added the picture. Although I hadn't, I told her I'd try and figure out how to get it off.

While looking at John Tanner's duplicate entries as listed in the email above, I decided to make sure the data in both his entries matched and see if his two entries would merge, since that might be the fastest way to deal with the picture.

They wouldn't merge.

So I emailed FamilySearch and described the problem with his duplicate entries, also mentioning the duplicates of his wife Lydia Stewart Tanner.

These are the current entries. Lydia's are similar, so I'll just show this one set.

John Tanner (MMM9-MM1)

This is the more correct of the two entries, but neither one is perfect. Some of the ordinance data is correct in one entry; some in the other.