I'm assuming that any Frazier sound alike would be checked or referenced in this list. I can't say for sure that the Frazer I'm looking for is spelled correctly. I hope that's what everyone else is assuming. Dennis ---------- >From: VCrawf@aol.com >To: FRAZIER-L@rootsweb.com >Subject: [FRAZIER] FRAZIER - FRAZER - FRASER >Date: Wed, Nov 8, 2000, 3:47 PM > > >Frazer people - please help me out on this, as I am new to this list. Is >the FRAZIER list the same as the FRAZER list??? If not, why not? As >family historians, we know that most of the surname spellngs we find result >from someone who does NOT bear the name writing it down in one record or >another. As we know - spelling was NOT our ancestors' long suit; >Shakespeare himself spelled his own name five different ways. > >I have seen stated as the first rule of genealogists: don't sweat the >spelling! > >Many of our ancestors had limited, or no, ability to read and write for >themselves. Even if they did, they were more often speaking their names to >others to write down than writing themselves - when married, when a death >took place, etc. As a result, names were reproduced phonetically by the >clerks, etc., who took them down - and those who physically wrote the names >may have been disinterested, hearing-impaired, or not very literate >themselves. > >The whole story of the development of surnames plays into this - for a long >time people had no second names at all - then only certain people did, who >needed to be identified with specificity - then it was seen that second names >were useful and most people began to have them - but for another long span of >time there was no one right way to spell each name; people did not consider >it important. The preferred spelling of each name probably took several >generations to establish itself. Till then, the spellings were all over the >map. Other aspects of life played a part - as when a bearer of name >derived from language A went to live in a country where language B was >spoken: e.g., think Scots settling in New France in the early 1700s. > >Will someone let me know the prevalent tone or sentiment of this list >community on the above? > >I have FRASER/FRAZER/FRAZIER family to ask about, but will defer for a few >days. > >Cheers to all, and thank you. > >Ginny Crawford >California USA >VCrawf@aol.com > > >