On Dick Eastmans genealogy forum at
http://www.eogn.com/forum/ there
is some discussion ongoing pertaining to the use of "alias" in old
records.
The first post asks
"I've been unsuccessful using Google and ASK to find an answer to this
question: The word "alias" is often used in old documents such as
wills in England, and I'm wondering if it has some specific meaning
other than the somewhat negative current usage. Just today, I found
two different wills for different families in which a person is named
something Smith, alias something else. In both cases, the person named
is a male so that discounts maiden name. Ideas? Suggestions?"
One response so far says
"Alias also means "at another time" (OED); however, it can be used
where a person is more generally known by a nickname, as in the case
of "Bill" as opposed to "William"."
It will be interesting to see where this goes. Sounds like OED might
be the equivalent to AKA now or maybe Morgan was Thomas's "street
name" in the hood.
Neal