Genealogy Chat

Hiya everyone, In a bit of a muddle. I thought i found my gt grandads parents and siblings, the area, years and everything worked out. However today i received my gt grandads birth certificate and his parents are totally not what i expected!!, completely different people in fact! My gt grandad was called francis henry shepheard, ive found him on censuses and on freebmd and that all tallies up. However when i ordered his birth cert his name was spelt Shephard...his parents are the same...which one is the right one??? the census info or birth certificate??.....also i spell my maiden name Shepheard not shephard...whats going on?? Any ideas would be a massive help.... Demelza

Sorry to sound dim, but are his parents' first names completely different, or is it just the spelling of 'Shepheard'? If the former, and you are sure all the census etc information is correct, the nit is probably the wrong certificate. If the latter, I suspect that your relations would not have been able to tell you how they spelt their name. There is no 'correct' spelling, but for continuity's sake, pick the one your family is familiar with and uses today.

On an optimistic note, it is entirely possible that the name was spelt incorrectly by whoever wrote down the information initially. Just because they were able to write did not necessarily mean that they could spell. A lot of names were spelt phonetically, leading to numerous spellings of the same name. It may be worthwhile trying to go back a little further, and see what spellings were used. (That is if the records are available). Sometimes Vestry Records can mention events such as marriages, and may even give the names of the parties involved. Paul

Hiya Demelza If the parents' names and dates fit then the spelling is quite often dodgy. My GAU's have been spelt GAU, GAW, GORE, GAY and GOT over various centuries. I know they are the same people - living at the same addresses and with same DOB's DOD's and first names etc My DULLEY's have been spelt DULEY, DEWLEY, DULLY, DULEY and in one case DOLLY (but it wasn't a sheep!). Good luck A

You can probably ignore the spelling. The other alternative is to see the original transcription of the census. It might be spelt the way you think it should be but has been badly transcribed. John

Hello Demelza. Found FH on the 1837online where he is Shephard so go for that. The 1881 Census from LDS does very quite a lot in its spellings. The only true way to check is to go to the original census data on fiche. Second point for you. I went to Plymouth last week and went to Weston Mill Cemetery. Found the Grave of Harry Friend and told him you hadn't forgotten him. Went then to the Library and I have the article from the Western Evening Herald of 23rd January about his death. How can I get it to you, or do you just want the wording by Email?

Hi, I think that the spelling has just varied. I have found relatives that I know are definately related, we spell the name McClory and the others spell it McClorey. We have also found that it has been spelt McGlorey on some sites and it is where people have misread the original document when inputting the information. Laurie

Keith - You live near Weston Mill Cemetery? All my relatives (the dead ones, anyway) are there. I'm thinking of pitching a tent by the gates because we seem to be down there every year for another funeral.

I think you have to bear in mind that the people who gave the information often could not spell - and the person making the entry did his/her best to write down what they heard. There was no way that the entry could be 'spellchecked', thus the variations on one name were rife. Now that the majority of us are reasonably literate we can insist that 'our' name can only be spent one way- but often a brick wall can be crumbled by trying alternative spellings 'Lindsey' for 'Lindsay' or 'Linsey' et al - and suddenly the family appears. Say the name to yourself with different accents - see how you would spell it if it sounded like that, and give it a try. Some of my lot are Hardman's Heardman's, Herdman's - I was probably very lucky to get the 'H'! Mmmm - maybe I should start loking into Ardman! Good Hunting, Rosi

Hi Kathryn. No, I live in Hunstanton, Norfolk. Just by coincidence we happened to go to Plymouth for a weeks break, and I remembered the details of Demelza's query. Keith