Genealogy Chat

The fact is, whether it be ages, names or birthplaces you can only take them as being a guide - not a fact!

In the Sweffling Parish records, I can trace the Cattermole side of my family to 1500 and something, and also see the change in the name!! It actually started off as KACKERMOULLE, and changed letter by letter through the generations (and vicars!). Also have Shears in my family - seen them as Sheeres, Sheers, Shiers, Shires. The omission/addition of a letter or two is quite common. Just think how many letters you get with the (slightly) wrong name on!! My daughters surname is nice and easy (Tanner), but she gets letters addressed to Turner, Tawner, Fanner, Spanner etc. - so you can't just blame the enumerators!! lol maggie

My husband's name is CUMMIN. I have traced his family. The origins in Greenwich show the baptisms in parish records of 3 children to John and Mary Ann. Each child has a different spelling of the name! When we married in 1968, the vicar got it wrong and spelled it CUMMINS. Luckily we can both read and write! So we have a correction on our marriage cert giving the right spelling. Sadly 100 years ago, our ancestors probably couldn't do this! Do not trust spelling--go by names, dates, occupations and p.o.b., and also of course siblings. Then you know you have the right family, regardless of spelling! Wendy

Thanks for your replies everybody . I thought I was going mad, my sympathy to anyone with the same problem

you want to try the name Poppy - you get Popey and Popay mostly. Took me a while to figure this out.

Variations are very common - I have Slatters on the censuses as Slatter, Hatter and Statter. I also have Poxons as Poxon, Poxson and Pogson. Alleways are Alleway, Allaway, Alloway and even Holloway. If people could not read and write, I suppose the enumerator had to do the best he could from the name he was being told, as the person doing the telling couldn't help him!!

Spelling differences in the same family are quite common. I believe that it was the enumerator who did the writing, so the spelling entered on the census form was how the enumerator believed it was spelt, based on the sound. For example, one particular name I am researching is Prestidge, but I have found it as Prestage, Prestedge, Prestridge, Trestridge, Bestridge, Prestige......the list is endless.

Just a quick one anybody. I have two different spellings ie thomson/thompson 1871 and 1881 same address, same occupations etc, is this normal or am I being dense and barking up the wrong tree as it were. Les.