Karon
You are so right about the spelling of last names and first for that matter.
Something else I have found is that
sometimes middle names were used as first names if there was more than one
Mary, an example, in the family.
Then when census came along that is what they used. Just a thought
Take Care
Brenda
IN GOD WE TRUST....SUPPORT OUR TROOPS
----- Original Message -----
From: "Karon Bosze" <tmg4me(a)comcast.net>
To: "Catlett List" <catlett-l(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 18, 2009 9:07 AM
Subject: [CATLETT] CATLETT - Spelling or Misspelling of the Name
I may be "preaching to the choir", but a word of caution in
looking at old
records and transcribed or abstracted records, or the modern day records
that
have been placed on the Internet. Here are some example of how you may
find
(and possibly overlook) spellings of CATLETT:
CATLET
CATTLET
CATLETTE
CATLETE
CALET
CALETT
CALETTE
CALETE
CATTLE (yes, I'm for real and I've seen it happen!)
Take the "A" and replace it with "O", such as
Cotlett
Colett and so on.
Take the "C" and replace it with "K".
If you don't believe me, I recently reviewed handwritten notes that I made
between 1976 and 1978. I tried at times to cross the "C" and the
"l".
Sometimes I missed the two "t's" on the end of the name. I'm human and
so
were the guys recording the records and so forth.
Humans, wrote the names down. Some were well educated and some were not.
Some could write (form letters), but couldn't spell. Some wrote the names
the
way they sounded (soundex and other similar systems are important). In
census
records, the informant was not always the head of the family. It could've
been the wife, a kid, a boarder, a neighbor. The census takers were
required
to record the data 3 times. If you've looked at an original census form,
can
you imagine writing/recording, 3 TIMES, the data in your district. LONG
hand,
quill pen. Makes my carpal tunneled hands ache just thinking about it.
<g>
Genealogy takes patience. The Internet, <BIG SIGH>, does not teach
patience.
Have faith and hang in there! Don't give up. Don't be afraid to write
to
government agencies. Snail mail may be slow, but it may provide the
answers
that you seek. You guys who've been on this list (most of us silent, the
past
two years) obviously have patience. Persevere and preserve!
-- Karon
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