Don said: > Changes in names of places make us more than a little crazy. Looks like > public ennumerators living there would know how the place was spelled. > Perhaps not. ** In the UK, enumerators didn't fill in the forms. The blank census schedule was issued to the head of household, and it was his responsibility to fill it in correctly. If he was illiterate, someone else in the household (sometimes a schoolchild) filled it in at his dictation. Thereby hangs many spelling problems! The enumerator was not supposed to make any alterations, just copy exactly the details from the schedule into his book of returns. Gordon Johnson (author of "Census Records for Scottish Families at home and abroad, 3rd. ed., Aberdeen FHS,1997)

Thank you Gordon. Sounds like the same way it is or was done in Ireland. Still makes me crazy though. Don ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon Johnson" <gordon@kinhelp.co.uk> To: <border@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 8:51 AM Subject: Re: [BORDER] Scarnook > Don said: >> Changes in names of places make us more than a little crazy. Looks like >> public ennumerators living there would know how the place was spelled. >> Perhaps not. > > ** In the UK, enumerators didn't fill in the forms. The blank census > schedule was issued to the head of household, and it was his > responsibility to fill it in correctly. If he was illiterate, someone > else in the household (sometimes a schoolchild) filled it in at his > dictation. Thereby hangs many spelling problems! > The enumerator was not supposed to make any alterations, just copy > exactly the details from the schedule into his book of returns. > Gordon Johnson > (author of "Census Records for Scottish Families at home and abroad, > 3rd. ed., Aberdeen FHS,1997) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > BORDER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.12/724 - Release Date: 3/16/2007 > 12:12 PM > >

Hi All, I would suggest that earlier spellings would render this name as Scaurnook; from 'scaur' a rock or steep cliff, and 'nook', an 'out of the way place'. Looking at the the place the topographical features would support this. There are steep cliffs because it's on the outside of a tight river bend and it is certainly out of the way. Regards Roy ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gordon Johnson" <gordon@kinhelp.co.uk> To: <border@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 3:51 PM Subject: Re: [BORDER] Scarnook > Don said: >> Changes in names of places make us more than a little crazy. Looks like >> public ennumerators living there would know how the place was spelled. >> Perhaps not. > > ** In the UK, enumerators didn't fill in the forms. The blank census > schedule was issued to the head of household, and it was his > responsibility to fill it in correctly. If he was illiterate, someone > else in the household (sometimes a schoolchild) filled it in at his > dictation. Thereby hangs many spelling problems! > The enumerator was not supposed to make any alterations, just copy > exactly the details from the schedule into his book of returns. > Gordon Johnson > (author of "Census Records for Scottish Families at home and abroad, > 3rd. ed., Aberdeen FHS,1997) > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > BORDER-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message > >