When is a source too error ridden to be cited?

Question

On the Pike profile Pike-13706, the source cited for his birth gets the location of his birth wrong,it was North Adams Massachusetts not Acushnet, Massachusetts and his father was John Marquay not a Pike

Comments

The source is still where the information was found.  It may have errors - transcriptions are often incorrect and make assumptions - but those can be noted after the citation.

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I think there's some kind of error with the citation - if you look at the actual source document it is correct.  There is no father listed, mother is Lucy Pike, baby is recorded as "Infant Pike."

Answer 1

The profile states he was born Dec 12, but the image shows Dec 6, in North Adams.  The Source page has a location not included in the Image, but it looks like the entire page was indexed with the wrong location. I checked another person on the page and they also have the Event Place incorrectly as Acushnet, Bristol, Massachusetts.

The citation, as stated, should be included, but include a 'note' that the Image shows the other location.

Comments

The on-line pre-written citation shouldn't be used since it is totally wrong.  A correct citation should be created and used. It would probably be helpful to add a research note saying that the transcription and citation at FamilySearch are wrong.

Answer 2

I believe the "Acushnet, Massachusetts" is where the record is kept, and if you view the actual document, it has the correct location. I'm not sure why it shows the Pike name in the text, but it may just default to this one name on the list. I run into this a lot on the text translations. Sometimes it is errors, other times it is just a misunderstanding of the meaning, like I mentioned above.

I just view the text as a helpful guide and rely on the actual record for the information. Of course, if you're concerned, others may misinterpret the information. You could add a researcher's notes explaining that you must view the record for the correct information and not rely on the text.