Genealogy Chat

Here is something that may also confuse about surnames, smetimes when a person entered domestic service, they would add or replace their surname with the name of their employers, we found one of our ancestors did this and were confused when the name changed, until a kind person at the Mormon family history centre explained what some people did.

Its not just names they got wrong I have a short copy of my birth cert that states Im a boy! My mum says she thinks the registrar had been having a tipple when she went to register me. The long copy written on the same day by the same person has me down correctly as female!

Thanks for your help. You are all brilliant and I would be lost without you. Maxine - I have tried the LDS site again and am now getting results, but still too early for what I am looking for. I will keep hold of the address for when (and if I ever) get far enough back. Thanks for the tip.

Hi Andrea I have a family called "Dissington" in my tree, so far I have found this spelt as above, plus "Dishington" "Deasington" "Dessinton" and "Disington". I think the main reasons are that transcribers get things wrong sometimes, also census takers got things wrong often!, plus depending on how long ago it was , many people were illiterate, and names were often affected by accents, ie the census taker spelt them as her heard them! Apparently William Shakepeare spelt his name at least 11 different ways! Regards Maxine

The further back you go the more common multiple spellings become. Our ancestors weren't so fussy about spellings, many were semi-illiterate and the rest just couldn't care. It wasn't just surnames, although this is where most variations occured but forenames as well i.e. to use an example from my own tree Lily, Lilly, Lillie Remember as well that records were written by different people each time, the more unusual the name the more errors occured in writing them down. Standardised spellings are a recent phenomenon and whilst it can cause confusion it makes life interesting, believe me when I say that the hobby would be very boring if it was easy.

Hi Andrea Yes names can be spelt different take this instance I married in 1973 and the vicar spelt my name wrong but I didn't notice it until a good few years later and by then the old vicar had left.My better half keeps telling me we're not married I told him he had to try harder than that to get rid of me.If I can put up with him for 30 years another 30 won't be bad [only joking I love him rely. Jill from Cardiff

The names can change from document to document. I have 1 ancestor whose name changes 4 times(see my recent thread) and his children were christened in the same church WITH DIFFERENT SURNAMES.Its confusing , annoying and thats why I love it. Remember the name can be nothing like the one your looking for.

Hi you wonderful lot!! I am sooooo glad you are all here to help. OK, my next problem is this: I have a Gran who says her Gran's name was Katherine Fuery. I eventually found her birth under Catherine Furey - notice the different spellings. I am now trying to find her marriage and I have found one that involves the two correct names and both names are on the same page - BUT it is Catherine Furay - yet another spelling of her name - could this be possible? Does she not need her birth certificate to get married and if she does, then why is the spelling still wrong? Sure, wouldn't she have corrected them at the time? I have read loads of messages about spelling changes but can it happen to the same name and be changed slightly every time? If this is the case, no wonder family trees are so hard to do!!! Please let me know if you think I am barking up the wrong tree. Thanks again you lot!