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Beginners => Family History Beginners Board => Topic started by: DixonBainbridge on Thursday 11 February 16 12:40 GMT (UK)
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Hi all,
I have a question regarding best way to identify the correct spelling of a surname. I have members of a family who's surname differs in spelling between documents, in some the surname is Easter and in others it's Eastaugh.
The head of the family is Samuel Easter/Eastaugh born abt 1863 in Suffolk, England. His name on the sources I have are:
FreeBMD Birth: EASTAUGH
Census 1971, 1891, 1901, 1911: EASTER
Census 1881: EASTAUGH
His children also seem to alternate between the spellings. So I'm confused which is correct. Do I need to go with what is on the birth certificates? Or is BMD more relaiable than census?
Thanks
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Many names have many variations.......
I have a family with 11 children with 4 different spellings on baptisms/births not to mention more on census records.
I have them listed by the name on the baptism/birth as there are so many variations of the name (7 to date)
Kain, Kean, Cain, Caine, etc ::)
Spellings were noted by how the name sounded as many people were illiterate.
If my names are Mac/Mc I use Mac for consistency with notes of how they were recorded on different docs.
Annie
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The further back you go, you will find spelling more and more variable. As time went on, then different lines tended to settle on a particular spelling, so you can have many strands of the same family who, in modern years, have differently spelt surnames.
My family spell their name Edmonds with an 'o', and until I started researching Family history I would have said that was the "right" way for "my" family, and people called Edmunds with a 'u' were not my family at all!
But as I worked back, spelling became much more fluid. Plenty of Edmunds and Edmends amongst ancestors. Several lines working forwards tended to settle with the Edmunds spelling, one line adopted Edmends right up to the present day. Going further back I saw Edmands, Edmems, Edmans, Emans, and 101 others.
There is no "right" spelling!
And even in recent years, transcription errors can easily occur. My own nephew married not that long ago, very much an Edmonds, but I see his marriage in the GRO index is recorded as Edmunds. So somewhere between him signing the register in the church and the record making the index, it got misread.
I only search for Edm* now and really take no notice of the actual spelling when a record is found.
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They are all correct. :)
Often surnames were phonetically spelled by whoever was recording the name on a particular document, so it would not be a case of your ancestors making a conscious decision to alternate spellings of the surname, it was just how the person writing the name decided to spell it. Many of our ancestors were illiterate and even those who weren't would probably not have spelled their surname in order for it to be recorded 'correctly', nor would they have checked to see that it had been.
Sometimes surnames can vary quite considerably. I have a Clemmet ancestor whose surname has many variations including Clemmonson. I have a Lawrenson who also has many different spellings.
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I have a paper somewhere in my filing ::) ::) ::) that lists 104 - yes 104 - different ways to spell my surname!
Dawn M
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My Routledge line changes to Rutledge when emigrating to the USA. No problem if they were born in England they are Routledge and when in America they are sometimes Rutledge so I just change their names accordingly.
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Names vary over time in everyone's family - there is no correct spelling, just a record of how it was written at that particular time or event.
You should record the name as it is written on each record you find.
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I have a paper somewhere in my filing ::) ::) ::) that lists 104 - yes 104 - different ways to spell my surname!
Dawn M
That's got to be a record Dawn! :o Now you have me wanting to know your surname. ;D
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They are all correct. :)
Often surnames were phonetically spelled by whoever was recording the name on a particular document, so it would not be a case of your ancestors making a conscious decision to alternate spellings of the surname, it was just how the person writing the name decided to spell it. Many of our ancestors were illiterate and even those who weren't would probably not have spelled their surname in order for it to be recorded 'correctly', nor would they have checked to see that it had been.
Sometimes surnames can vary quite considerably. I have a Clemmet ancestor whose surname has many variations including Clemmonson. I have a Lawrenson who also has many different spellings.
And not forgetting accents as well, not only regional but also other countries...... ::)
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Thanks everyone, that all makes sense.
I have recorded each name as they appear in the documents but what would you suggest I put for the main surname on my ancestry tree? Is there a standard practice?
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Your tree, your research, you put what you want in your record of it.
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Out of all the names listed at the bottom of my posts, there are only three that I have never found a variation for. And I expect to come across one of those as my research progresses.
As Lizdb has said, it is entirely up to you how you record it. As you have already done, I try to record the variations of spelling, but usually keep to one standard spelling of my choice. The one exception is the Pine/Pyne family, where the spelling changed when an ancestor moved parishes; other than that, it was reasonably standard. I have recorded the name accordingly.
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You have seen the 1911 for these guys?
That is written by the head of the family and bears that person's signature.
I would think most folks are literate by 1911 and so what's on that census is the way the name is "meant" to be.
Salute,
Janelle
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You have seen the 1911 for these guys?
That is written by the head of the family and bears that person's signature.
I would think most folks are literate by 1911 and so what's on that census is the way the name is "meant" to be.
Salute,
Janelle
That's true as far as it goes. Yes people were generally literate by then, but as has been pointed out already on this thread, different branches of the same family could have different spellings, dating back several generations.
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I have a paper somewhere in my filing ::) ::) ::) that lists 104 - yes 104 - different ways to spell my surname!
Dawn M
I cannot top that Dawn, but between my siblings and I, (one born before WWII and the rest of us born after WWII) we know there's many many variations in spelling for 'our' surname. Four of us had the same Primary School teacher for 4th class, (over about ten years or more) at the same school etc. And even then, our half yearly and yearly report cards, in her wonderfully neat handwriting show huge spelling mistakes.... urrrrmmmm welll ..... (every report card .... varies .... every one !)
It was not for want of trying, as both my parents were well known in the rural NSW township, and so too my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and grandparents/ great aunts/uncles.... all living at that time, in that locality, writing letters to the local newspaper, running the local P & C, on the local councils, parish commitments, etc. Generations of us had lived in that district.
Basically, in my youth no one took much notice of the spelling variations. We all know who was who, not by the names on these official records, but by their nick names .... Snowy, Rodge, Fred, Joe, Blossom, Gunna, Sweetie, Cor, Gwen, Martha, ...... (yes, Gwen was not among her names on her bc, and as for Martha .... that was the name of HIS first milking cow, and he would call out to her, so we just copied him until he started to answer us) ....
It has only been since about the 1990s that there has been a fixation on pedantically cross checking identity documents in NSW for Spelling variations.
Pine's point is spot on for any NSW Australia family. :)
May I mention that apart from spelling variations, many jurisdictions around the world, particularly those with administrative systems that may have origins back to England in earlier centuries, retain a common law right for their citizens and/or permanent residents, particularly in respect of their 'preferred' name.
So basically,
"Australian citizens or permanent residents are legally entitled to communce using a 'preferred' name at any time without formal process. Australian citizens retain a common law right to a change of name through usage or repute:
At common law an adult may assume any surname by using such name and becoming known by it. A surname is not a matter of law but a mater of repute ..... The law of this country (Australia) allows any person to assume and use any named, provided its use is not calculated to deceive and to inflict pecuniary loss " .... See NSW Law Reform Commision, Names : Registration and Certification of Births and Deaths, Report no 61 (1988)
http://www.lawreform.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/report_61.pdf
Cheers, JM
On my tree records, I use the spelling of my surname to match the spelling on my marriage certificate. The clergy had the same surname, and so too one of the witnesses. It is a variation from Grandfather's spelling, but it does not mean that either Grandfather or I have used the 'correct spelling' .... it is simply that of course I remember how to spell it MY way :) when I am typing it.
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Names vary over time in everyone's family - there is no correct spelling, just a record of how it was written at that particular time or event.
You should record the name as it is written on each record you find.
I note the differences but the original in my tree is what's on the birth/baptism & you can only enter 1 for surname on FTM then add notes of the variants.
Annie
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I add the variants in Notes and add what record it was spelt that way.
Annie, referring back to your earlier post, is there any sort of protocol for the Mc and Mac usages? Does a consonant or vowel predetermine which one is used, for example?
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Sometimes I make note thus:
Pine/Pyne
That would not work if I were Dawn though. ;D
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I have MATHEWS/Matthews/Mathues/Masters/Mayhews/and Matgews! Mostly all census, and/or transcriptions, but the last one I think a typo, I do it all the time myself, as g & h together on keyboard.
I also have McAUGHTRIE, MacAughtrie, McAuchtrie, , McCawtrey, McCoughtree, Coutry, Caughtry, Awtry, McOttree and McAuchtree and a few more variations.
An interesting transcription was a Christian name of Banfree, I thought what a strange name, but on looking at the image the name was Winifred!
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I add the variants in Notes and add what record it was spelt that way.
Annie, referring back to your earlier post, is there any sort of protocol for the Mc and Mac usages? Does a consonant or vowel predetermine which one is used, for example?
No protocol, the name varies within the same families & in all generations. My 1st (earliest further back) document is Mac & luck would have it that my father was Mac.
I just prefer to use Mac for consistency & ease of finding someone in my tree but it's easy with only 2 variants (of my surname for my family found on records) whereas other Mac/Mc with same surname, I have seen several variations.
Annie
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Sometimes I make note thus:
Pine/Pyne
That would not work if I were Dawn though. ;D
;D ;D ;D ;D
Dawn M
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I can't top 104 spellings but I do have a marriage certificate (Scottish) where the same name is spelt 4 different ways on the one document.
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My FT program allows me to enter - as noted above - extra names using the slash ie Mutrie/Moutray/Moutrie.
As to which one to use? I use the one I see on first coming across the name. ie I have a Patience Bolland in my tree. Hers is the 1st instance of use so that's my standard - even if her father is found as Bollard. I will transpose , but use , Bolland/Bollard to offer consistency.
As to why , even us literate readers in the 21st century , allow variations? Its because we just sick and tired of explaining how to spell our name. Primary documents I will correct. Secondary - even when I send a hand written document in and they still get it wrong!! - I give up. I have an electricity bill that has my name spelt wrong. ???
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My FT program allows me to enter - as noted above - extra names using the slash ie Mutrie/Moutray/Moutrie.
As to which one to use? I use the one I see on first coming across the name. ie I have a Patience Bolland in my tree. Hers is the 1st instance of use so that's my standard - even if her father is found as Bollard. I will transpose , but use , Bolland/Bollard to offer consistency.
As to why , even us literate readers in the 21st century , allow variations? Its because we just sick and tired of explaining how to spell our name. Primary documents I will correct. Secondary - even when I send a hand written document in and they still get it wrong!! - I give up. I have an electricity bill that has my name spelt wrong. ???
Without going off topic too much, several years ago we were getting quotes for ducted air conditioning. One quote came back with our surname totally wrong; right first names, right address, wrong surname. Needless to say they didn't get the job.
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It does make searching difficult when the surnames are inconsistent across the census returns though...I have several variants of Carroll and Monaghan.
Carol
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It's amazing how many different ways you can spell Urwin... There was even one marriage under "Orron"...
Usually when the spelling variations start, I go with whatever spelling occurs most often. If Joe Blogg's father appears more commonly as Blogges, I'll put his surname on the tree as that and note what spelling appears where, like "Joseph Blogs on baptism".
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We have to remember that especially with parish records, quite often regional accents played a part in spelling, even if the recorder was literate. So if an ancestor moved to a different part of the country, htheir accent could have had a bearing on the spelling of their name. Conversely, ministers/vicars/priests were often sent far and wide to a parish, sometimes with local accents hard to decipher.
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Just got to add my bit to this.
My family name switched between two variants as far back as I can research and as recently as the last generation
My mother and her FULL brother were both born in 1930's
My mum was Kerr and her brother was Carr.
As it was the spellings used on their birth records, it's the spellings that they used for life!
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My Christian name is Jean, and I have been known as Weejean, Jeanie or Jeanne ever since I can remember! The only time I was ever called Jean was when I was in trouble at home, or school, and in Official documents.
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I don't think there's a "correct" way of spelling any surname. But it's sometimes hard to decide which spelling to use for each individual on my tree. If they were literate and signed their marriage certificate, I go with the spelling that they used at the time.
One surname in my tree - Breakwell - seems to gravitate towards the same spelling by the end of the 19th century. Yet another surname - Philpot - seems to diverge more and more as time goes on, with a double "l", double "t", or an "s" on the end.
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Spellings are strange! Or perhaps it's people who are strange?
Many people, including lots of RootsChatters, spell my surname as Garrard, rather than Garrad ;D
BUT, in censuses and BMDs, almost invariably the spelling is "correct" - that is, it's always the spelling my family have used?!
Over the years I have been addressed as Gerrard, Goddard, Gadd, etc.
I don't really notice too much any more ;D
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Had the same with my lot three different spellings of surname