{"id":11630,"date":"2026-05-01T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/?p=11630"},"modified":"2026-04-30T13:26:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T12:26:38","slug":"witnesses-not-fathers-a-note-on-a-misleading-transcription","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/witnesses-not-fathers-a-note-on-a-misleading-transcription\/","title":{"rendered":"Witnesses, Not Fathers: A Note on a Misleading Transcription"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"121\" data-end=\"479\">In genealogical work, few sources are as valuable\u2014or as frequently misunderstood\u2014as parish records. In some cases, the records reveal Witnesses Not Fathers in critical roles that researchers can easily overlook. In recent years, large-scale transcription projects have made these materials more accessible than ever before. That is a welcome development. Yet with convenience comes a quiet risk: the temptation to trust the transcription without consulting the original.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"481\" data-end=\"719\">The case discussed below serves as a reminder that even well-intentioned efforts can introduce serious errors. And when those errors concern something as fundamental as parentage, the consequences can ripple through an entire family tree.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"83\" data-end=\"255\">I would like to draw attention to a transcription currently available at <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Digitalarkivet<\/span><\/span>:<br data-start=\"194\" data-end=\"197\" \/><a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalarkivet.no\/en\/view\/327\/pv00000010031522\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"197\" data-end=\"255\">https:\/\/www.digitalarkivet.no\/en\/view\/327\/pv00000010031522<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"257\" data-end=\"451\">According to this transcription, <strong data-start=\"290\" data-end=\"310\">Ole Hansen Fjeld<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"315\" data-end=\"330\">Peder Hagen<\/strong> are listed as the fathers of the married couple, <strong data-start=\"380\" data-end=\"399\">Ole Olsen Fjeld<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"404\" data-end=\"431\">S\u00f8rinou Hansdatter Berg<\/strong>. This is incorrect.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"453\" data-end=\"632\">The transcription is based on a church book revision from 1812. However, when we consult the original parish register, the relevant entry appears at the top of the left-hand page:<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"634\" data-end=\"763\"><em data-start=\"634\" data-end=\"714\">\u00d8stre Toten prestekontor, Parish register (official) no. 1 (1828\u20131839), p. 192<\/em><br data-start=\"714\" data-end=\"717\" \/><a class=\"decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.digitalarkivet.no\/kb20070202620532\" target=\"_new\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"717\" data-end=\"763\">https:\/\/www.digitalarkivet.no\/kb20070202620532<\/a><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"765\" data-end=\"852\">The key lies in the column heading: <strong data-start=\"801\" data-end=\"822\">\u201cHvem forloverne\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 <em data-start=\"825\" data-end=\"852\">\u201cWho were the witnesses?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"854\" data-end=\"1011\">This is crucial. The names recorded here are not the fathers of the bride and groom, but their <strong data-start=\"949\" data-end=\"962\">forlovere<\/strong>\u2014the men who served as witnesses to the marriage.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1013\" data-end=\"1195\">There is also an internal inconsistency that should immediately raise suspicion: if Peder Hagen were indeed S\u00f8rinou\u2019s father, she would be named <strong data-start=\"1158\" data-end=\"1174\">Pedersdatter<\/strong>, not <strong data-start=\"1180\" data-end=\"1194\">Hansdatter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1197\" data-end=\"1246\">More broadly, those listed as witnesses could be:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1247\" data-end=\"1326\">\n<li data-section-id=\"1se899z\" data-start=\"1247\" data-end=\"1258\">fathers<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"ba2r3f\" data-start=\"1259\" data-end=\"1278\">other relatives<\/li>\n<li data-section-id=\"v8woly\" data-start=\"1279\" data-end=\"1326\">or simply friends, neighbors, or colleagues<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1328\" data-end=\"1407\">In other words, their presence in this column does <strong data-start=\"1379\" data-end=\"1386\">not<\/strong> establish parentage.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_8327\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-8327\" style=\"width: 393px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"8327\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/a-word-of-warning\/screen-shot-03-09-21-at-01-43-pm\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-03-09-21-at-01.43-PM.jpg?fit=393%2C288&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"393,288\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Screen Shot 03-09-21 at 01.43 PM\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This is section appear next to data transcribed by the AMF collaboration&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-03-09-21-at-01.43-PM.jpg?fit=393%2C288&amp;ssl=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-8327\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-03-09-21-at-01.43-PM.jpg?resize=393%2C288&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"393\" height=\"288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-03-09-21-at-01.43-PM.jpg?w=393&amp;ssl=1 393w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/martinroe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Screen-Shot-03-09-21-at-01.43-PM.jpg?resize=300%2C220&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 393px) 100vw, 393px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-8327\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This is section appear next to data transcribed by the AMF collaboration<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-start=\"1409\" data-end=\"1652\">Transcriptions produced as part of the AMF collaboration\u2014a joint initiative between Digitalarkivet, Ancestry, MyHeritage, and FamilySearch\u2014appear to contain a disproportionately high frequency of errors compared to other transcription efforts.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1654\" data-end=\"1931\">As I have noted previously in my blog post <a href=\"https:\/\/martinroe.com\/blog\/a-word-of-warning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em data-start=\"1697\" data-end=\"1719\">\u201cA Word of Warning,\u201d<\/em><\/a> the nature of these errors suggests that some of this work has been carried out with limited familiarity with local parish conditions, Norwegian naming conventions, language, and the structure of Norwegian church records.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1933\" data-end=\"2081\">Taken at face value, such transcriptions can lead to considerable frustration\u2014and, more seriously, to family trees built on entirely false premises.<\/p>\n<h3 data-section-id=\"1u957ut\" data-start=\"726\" data-end=\"744\"><span role=\"text\"><strong data-start=\"730\" data-end=\"744\">Conclusion<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"746\" data-end=\"968\">Transcriptions remain indispensable tools for locating and navigating historical records. But they must be used as they were always meant to be used: as guides, not authorities.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"970\" data-end=\"1104\">The older discipline still holds true. Read the original. Study the headings. Understand the naming customs. Take nothing for granted.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1106\" data-end=\"1214\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">Only then can we be reasonably certain that the lines we draw between past and present rest on solid ground.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In genealogical work, few sources are as valuable\u2014or as frequently misunderstood\u2014as parish records. In some cases, the records reveal Witnesses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"default","_google_business_share_type":"default","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":true,"datetime":"2026-05-01 11:00:00","platforms":[],"status":"pending_publication","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[164,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-digitalarkivet-and-other-archives","category-norwegian-sources"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - 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