> "fsuedu" <fsuedu@hotmail.com> wrote: > > > > My G-Grandfather changed the spelling of his name from > > > Sutherland to Sutherlin and back again nearly yearly for a decade. > > > He also changed his residence frequently. Perhaps he was > > > staying one step ahead of the rent and/or bill collector. I dunno. > > > > i'm with sandra on this one...depends on the time period. and can > > be for any number of reasons....my great-great grandfather came to > > ny in the 1800's with documentation and a letter from the police > > "chief" in his hometown in germany (we still have this stuff), and > > lo and behold, when he got to ellis island, whoever filled out his > > forms just decided that his name was easier to pronouce if spelled > > another way and just changed it on the spot. if we didn't have > > those original documents, we'd be up a creek trying to go back to > > the german records.... > > Sandra and I have already had a conversation about her grandfather's > name changes. She ascribes a deeper motive to them than I do - I > think that they were merely random changes without special reason or > meaning, the result of carelessness, perhaps illiteracy or - in > particular - lack of any spelling standards. > > As for your belief that your great-great grandfather's name got > changed at Ellis Island, this is almost without doubt not the case. > "The Name Got Changed at Ellis Island" is one of the most prolific > myths in American genealogy. The fact is that elaborate measures > were taken to make sure that names were correctly rendered. > > Below are a some links to expert articles which will provide ample > documentation supporting my contention. > > <snip> > > "Richard A. Pence" <richardpence@pipeline.com> And those who have heard author John P. Colletta lecture on immigration will recall his tale of the Italian who passed immigration in New York City under the name he was born with, and heady with the knowledge he was now safely in America, decided to change his name to something "not ethnic"...and from among the many signs on the main Street in NYC selected his All-American new name : Macy. Cheryl singhals@erols.com