The last name of our ancestor, Antoine Valentine, has come to be spelled several different ways. One of the problems arises from the fact that the way that his surname was spelt different ways during his lifetime, most notably as Degruyverloins and other variants. It is important to remember that correct spelling did not have the significance for someone in the eighteenth century that it does in the twenty-first century. The 18th century saw the first of the popular dictionaries in England in the 1740s (Dr. Johnson's), while popular American dictionaries were not widely circulated until the early 19th century. Even then, you had the cultural transition in South Louisiana of the French/Spanish/French/American political influence. I am not aware of how widely circulated were French dictionaries during this period of time. However, not even dictionaries dealt with the proper spelling of surnames at the time (or even now). Even individual recordkeepers had an influence on the spelling of proper names. Fr. Antonio de Sedella was the pastor of St. Louis Cathedral until the late 1820s. He was appointed during the Spanish period and kept spelling in the Spanish manner and form of names until his death. My research shows that the most general use of the variation DeGruise/De Gruise/Degruise was among descendants of Joseph Dumini Verloin Degruy Jr. (1822-1885) and his two wives, Adeline Dias (?-1868) and Ceralise Autin (?-?). This branch of the Degruy family was primarily located in Lafourche Parish, though some now live in the New Orleans area. The variations De Gruy, DeGruy, de Gruy and Degruy are just individual variations that arose because different people thought that the "de" was a separate item or part of the name. You will see a similar problem in names like De La Barre (Labarre, Delabarre, etc.), De La Vergne and other French and Spanish names that used the "de". Personally, I do not think that there is a "correct" spelling as our ancestors could not decide on one when signing their own names. What can be done is recognize the variations and settle on a common practice when something like the Degruy List and Web Site are involved. An example of the situation is the New Orleans phone book. It currently lists the following surnames: DeGRUISE, De GRUISE, DEGRUISE, DeGRUY, DEGRUY, DE GRUY, de GRUY, deGRUY. It also lists 5 people with the middle initial "V." among the ones who list a middle initial - a high percentage. Just some thoughts. Wally Schneidau