My greatgrandfather was James W. Boatwright. Some of his sons kept the "w" and some did not. To my knowledge there was no rhyme or reason. My grandfather was George W. BoatWright but his brother was Henry Clay Boatright. Winnie

A better question: When was the "W" added ???? Just kidding, most likely the spelling depended on how the name sounded. My ancestor, John L. BOATRIGHT, signed his name without the "w", yet others in his family signed their name with the "w". Leland WHAWJA@aol.com wrote: > My greatgrandfather was James W. Boatwright. Some of his sons kept the "w" > and some did not. To my knowledge there was no rhyme or reason. My > grandfather was George W. BoatWright but his brother was Henry Clay Boatright. > > Winnie > > ==== BOATRIGHT Mailing List ==== > Post your BOATRIGHT queries, bible records, biographies, obituaries, > pensions and wills to the NEW GenConnect board -- > http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/surnames/b/o/BOATRIGHT/queries