Genealogy Chat

I was searching through IGI and found these two entries: Sarah Howe, christened St. Augustines Church Norwich May 1804 Father John Barnabus Howe Mother Mary Gedge James Hoe, christened St. Augustines Church Norwich August 1810 Father John Barnaby Hoe Mother Mary Gage This is an excellent example of how you have to be prepared to accept variations in spellings. Jan.

I couldn't agree more, Jan. I am currently wading through Welsh/Welch, Collestoun/Collestown and as for the many variations of McIntyre!!!!!! Patsy

Hi Jan, I'm having the same problem with Coffey, McClory and Farrelly. It's also strange as well that I have managed to contact a distant relative who spells his surname McClorie, his line in our family are the only ones that spell it that way. The rest of us still spell it McClory. Laurie

I know the feeling. I have a McNeillie/Menelley and other assorted variations of this name to sort out. The lady was illiterate, so on the records it just has an X. If only you could go back and talk to them for five minutes!

Have the same trouble Stoneley/Stonley/Stonely/Stonly/STANLEY on some records, and now Stoneleigh has turned up Kathleen

If a birth certificate has one spelling and their marriage certificate a variation, which do you use for the entry on the tree?

Hi Brian, That's a good point. I think I'd be more inclined to go with the marraige cert as the person in question would have probably filled out a form or gave the registrar their details in person. If they are on a census would be better as I would of thought that they would have probably filled out the details themselves. I might be wrong. Laurie

had the same problem ive been looking for MAITLAND now it turns out that it has become MARTLAND at some period the I has become an R David

I am having problems trying to find info on a family member because of the name spelling. The two examples I have so far spell the surname the same but my mum and uncle spelt it differently when they wrote it down so it might have the same spelling elsewhere. My gr grandmother was called Margery McInery. The 1901 Census spells the first name Marjorie (this might not be the right person though) and an uncle's birth certificate says Margery. They both say McInery but my mum and uncle spelt it McKinery. I haven't got round to looking for her properly yet as I have decided to concentrate on my dad's side of the family for now. I am not looking forward to the hassle though. Melanie

I have i man who applied for a marriage licence in the name Clilward was married in the name Clilford and some of his children are christened Clilverd. I of his children's buisness is listed in Pigots under the name Cliveerd and he appears on the 1881 as Clitunce hes been terrible to trace!!

Hi. Laurie, I don't think that individuals filled out thei own census forms and the 'walkers' I think I have heard them refered to went around their own patch and filled in the forms after knocking on doors! Then they or even someone else transcribed them. plenty of room for built in errors there. Even BMD certs relied on the ability of the person writing to get a spelling right because the person offering information may not have been able to read or write. My g'mum put her "mark" against an entry on dads B'Cert. Roger