It is interesting and probably proves that our grandparents and earlier didn't much care what people called them <smile>. I am 100 years old (not quite, but getting there), and I am among those left over from an earlier time who also don't much care if people get the name right or wrong. It is important to many, it is not important to me. I don't think it was important to my family in the 1800s and 1900s. I suspect it is government and business that has made spellings (and dossier/social security numbers) an important matter, an ability to trace and identify people. Elaine People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid. --Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Hello Joan On Tuesday, March 28, 2006, you wrote > In the Chicago Catholic Churches I find the > change to James, and other names > Americanized, appearing about 1914/15. I have > found baptism records which > state Vaclav on one bapt and Wences on another. > St Wenceslaus Church used the term "Wenceslaus" almost exclusively for > Vaclav and interchanging was a normal procedure of the scribe as many > scribes wrote in the record books through the years. > Some surnames changed from baptism to baptism > with a few letters or in some > cases where the scribe wrote the "new" name in parens above the > other--similar to the original but simplified. It is interesting. > Joan Smart Peterson

At 01:25 PM 3/28/2006, you wrote: >It is interesting and probably proves that our >grandparents and earlier didn't much care what >people called them <smile>. I am 100 years old >(not quite, but getting there), and I am among >those left over from an earlier time who also >don't much care if people get the name right or >wrong. It is important to many, it is not >important to me. I don't think it was important to >my family in the 1800s and 1900s. I suspect it is >government and business that has made spellings >(and dossier/social security numbers) an important >matter, an ability to trace and identify people. It has been a problem for me in searching for my father's family -- place and spelling are a curse which I hope to overcome during my lifetime!!! I am not quite 100 yet and getting there fast. I hope I don't have to wait until I meet with my father on the other side <LOL> Take care -- TTFN Lorraine Moore Baton Rouge, LA