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First names...also found as......

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Gwyn in Kent

Gwyn in Kent Report 26 Jul 2012 19:39

A recent thread made me wonder if it would help to have a list of names which have been found wrongly transcribed as a known, but different name.

I'm not thinking of George who later called himself Frederick, but rather of names which perhaps in script writing could suggest a different first name.

Some I have seen...

Daniel.......found as David
David.........found as Daniel

Maria...... found as Maud

Ian............found as Jan


Have you found others ?

Gwyn

Andysmum

Andysmum Report 26 Jul 2012 20:34

Cuthbert.......found as Herbert
Joshua.........found as John on one census and as Johna on another!

and several which are obviously wild guesses because the originals were impossible to decipher - even though I knew what they should be!!

Colin

Colin Report 26 Jul 2012 20:35

Hi Gwyn
It's a good idea, when I found my 4 x great grandfather on the 1841 census it has him as Pippin a year later a relative of mine contacted me and said he read it as Rippin. when I looked on Family search site his christian name is Rippin and Rippon.
Colin.

Xavier

Xavier Report 26 Jul 2012 22:02

My Ethelbert (male) was helpfully transcribed as Ethel But (Female).....took me years to find him............ :-)

Researching:
Researching BRADFORD in Bedford and Cambridge

Jonesey

Jonesey Report 26 Jul 2012 22:19

Probably an exaggeration but there can't be many names that have not been incorrectly transcribed at some point or other. Reading other peoples handwriting is not easy at the best of times and when it is faded and up to 160 years old it doesn't help a great deal.

A possible solution to help find your missing or mistranscribed ancestors is to use wild cards when searching.

E.G.
*ert would find Herbert

Eth* would find ethel or Ethelbert

Be aware also of common abbreviations for forenames:

Chas = Charles
Jas = James
Jno = John or Jonathan
Wm = William

Plus loads more.

Add in diminutives:

Bill = William
Harry = Henry or Harold
Bess or Bessy = Elizabeth
Lotte = Charlotte
Peggy = Margaret

Plus loads of others.

It makes you wonder how we ever manage to find who we are looking for. ;-)

Researching:
Don't put off until tomorrow doing what you can do today. If you like doing it today you can do it again tomorrow. Be kind to your children for it is they who will decide which care home you end up in.

Patricia

Patricia Report 27 Jul 2012 01:31

I found one of mine transcribed as Lee, it should have read Ice, freebmd have changed it now as it was quite clear what it should have been.

Perhaps whoever transceribed it could quite believe what he/she was seeing, particularly as her surname was Worker!!! :-D

Researching:
Our Main Lines: - SEYMOUR - Lancashire,Yorkshire, BAKER - Essex, Kent & Sussex, HANCOCK - Devon, Somerset, Surrey, Middlesex, PATERSON - Glasgow, Middlesex - they did like to move about!!!