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Spiers

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Leanne

Leanne Report 27 Jun 2006 15:55

Has anyone else had any trouble tracing the surname 'Spiers'? I have found it spelt very differently on two or three census' now. 'Tis ridiculous! LOL! Why couldn't they spell their name the same all the time!?!?! If anyone has any advice on tracing ancestors with multiple ways of spelling their surnames, please leave a message! Leanne.

MarionfromScotland

MarionfromScotland Report 27 Jun 2006 16:00

I have Speirs from Lanarkshire Scotland. It has also been spelt Spiers. On her head stone it was Speirs, so I take it that is right. Marion

Unknown

Unknown Report 27 Jun 2006 16:01

Leanne Welcome to the world of genealogy! Firstly, until widespread literacy and the advent of more bureaucracy, there were no set ways of spelling things. Secondly, the people recording information recorded what they thought they heard someone say. Thirdly, who is to say the right way of spelling Spiers? I've got Chouns, Chowns, Chownes, Chowndes and Maling, Mealing, Mellins, Mealins and Mullins in my tree. Oh, and Higho, Hyho, Hegho and Dennison/Denison, Robins/Robbins in my husband's tree. And some folk whose names, no matter how you spell them, refuse to be found on censuses and bmd indexes!!!! nell

Leanne

Leanne Report 27 Jun 2006 17:32

thank you and I shall bare that in mind! As I am having the very same problem trying to find 'Hames' on the census' apart from 1901 and 1841. Leanne.

Christine in Herts

Christine in Herts Report 27 Jun 2006 17:48

If you're using a computer search (e.g. Ancestry)... 1] Soundex (or equivalent) should find names which are spelled differently but would sound similar. Some Local BMD sites also have ''near'' and ''vague''. 2] Wild Cards (* = any number of characters, ? = a single character) ROBINS* will pick up ROBINSON as well as ROBINS - but you'd have to have used Soundex (probably instead) to get ROBBINS; ROB* would pick up the ROBERTxxx type names as well, along with ROBESON, ROBY... Cath?rine will pick up Catharine and Catherine. 3] Less-is-more: putting in as little info in the various boxes as you can get away with, without being snowed under with hits. Use various combinations of info, possibly not including the surname. Make most use of family members with unusual (or, at least, less common) names. 4] People weren't always accurate about PoB or DoB - especially if it was in their interest to be born in a different place or on a different date. I believe there was a thread about search-tricks? Christine