Genealogy Chat

That's just amazing with such a short name - I reckon you get the free drink! Liz

I have fifty one (51) variations of the surname IKIN Peter

Julia - sorry, that wasn't very clear, I meant how did a name like that come about but you've answered, thanks! Next time I need an aspirin I'll try and remember that all I've got is a 'dwellling by the gate'?! Liz

Headache comes from ''Dwelling by the Gate', or something like it! Or did you mean location? Hampshire!!

Whilst not officially recorded as headaches, there are two families in my tree that have certainly given me a sore head with all the different spellings of their surnames! Firstly the Logues, who so far I have found as Logue, Logee, Logie, Logan, Lowe, Low and Sage. And I am also struggling with the Hosey, Hossey, Housey, Hussey, Ousey, Ossey, House and Houseman family. My favourite(?) find so far has been a wedding certificate from the Hosey family where the bride, father of the bride and witness (a sister) are all clearly from the same family but all have different surnames. I was told that a less common surname was a plus for family tree research but I'm not always sure it is so when neither registrars nor census enumerators seem able to cope with them. What a joy this hobby can be at times! Louise

Nice one Julia - amazing, where did that come from I wonder?! Nottm Liz from Hants

Prior to the mid 1700s my husbands Herridges were Headaches!!! No kidding!! But then the same could be said about genealogy in general!

On Census transcriptions from 1861 to 1901 I've had: Batty/Battey/Battye/Battie/Beatty/Beattie Sue xx Ps all certs have been spelt Batty

My gtgtgrfather Gilbert McM was shown as MCMIKIN – MCMIKINE – MCMIKINY and MCMIKEN at the baptisms of his 5 children. His son Thomas’s 5 children added MCMIKING – MCMEEKAN – MCMIEKEN and MCMICKEN Three of them died as MCMICHAN – MCMICHAM – and MCMEEKING and we’ve stuck with that last one! If that seems a goodly total I would add that the baptism OPRs for Wigtownshire alone show 55 different ways of spelling it and I’ve found 22 others elsewhere! My forebears obviously weren't too hot on literacy! Beat that!! OK, someone will!! What’s the prize – a drink in Moriarty's Bar?

Wow. nell

Ive done my before, but I know you all love them: Horstead/Horsted/Hosted/Ostead/Horsehead/Horshead/Herstus(??)/Horsteed/Horstade

I have found 27 variations in the spelling of the name HOLDEN. Some of them are abvious - HOLDAN, HOLDON, HOLDING etc - bit OLOLODON???? Marjorie

Sir Cloudesly Shovell (who was killed as he lay shipwrecked on a beach for the sake of the ring on his finger) was a famous figure not only in the area where I was born, but also on the North Norfolk coast, where a lot of little Clowdisleys were baptised circa 1700. One history book said his name could be spelt in THIRTY SEVEN different ways. Certainly, if you find an oil painting, the odds are that the legend on the canvas will be different from that on the frame. (Don't ask me, by the way, why there aren't THIRTY SIX variations, which I'd find a find a far more believeable figure!)

Part of my mother's line are Irish James and Mary McGladdery (as per 41/51/61 census) Son George was born McGladery He marries as Gladrey He is Gladdery on his daughter's birth certificate but _her_ surname is Gladrey The daughter Eliza marries as Glathery Eliza's daughter before she married is Glathers 1871 census they are down as Gladsey James dies as McGladdery Haven't been brave enough to venture further backwards yet! Lou

Hi Helen, my Dad's uncle was on Birth cert FRITZ BERHARD BAHR NICOLSON on marriage cert FRED NICOLSON on death cert FREDERICK NICHOLSON no wonder we get confused! Christine

My husband's Jewish great-great grandfather was called Zusman Hart on his birth cert Zuesman Hart on his marriage cert Zuzeman Hart on his daughter's birth cert Zuzman Hart on his daughter's marriage cert and on the census he is Lusman Luisman and ...man!!!! I guess it makes a change from all the Williams! nell

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