Spring 2001 and Revised 11 Jan 2001
What is the Soundex and how does it work?
The Soundex system is the means established by the National Archives to index the U.S. censuses (beginning with 1880). It codes together surnames of the same and similar sounds but of variant spellings.
Soundex codes begin with the first letter of the surname followed by a three-digit code that represents the (first three) remaining consonants. If the name needs more than 3 numbers, use only the first 3. If the name doesn't need 3 numbers, add a "0" at the end.
Soundex Coding Guide
1 = B,P,F,V
2 = C,S,G,J,K,Q,X,Z
3 = D,T
4 = L
5 = M,N
6 = R
For example: "Prentice" is "PRNT" or P643. "Dewald" is "DLD" or D430.
If you need help, go to Surname to Soundex Code and let the Soundex converter at the website (the little white box at the top of the website) do the tricky work for you and capture the nuances of the coding scheme (such as coding adjacent like letters as one).
If you have any information about the folks mentioned in this article, please contact us at dewald@prenticenet.com.
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