I think I want to add my two cents in about the 1880 census. My grandmothers were born in the 1800's. The style of handwriting then is not like it is today. Letters, especially capital letters, were entirely different. The "T" & "Y", and the "P"& "R" are easy to confuse. It probably best explains why my grandmother's surname appears as Yomas and not Thomas in the census. Pj

PJ wrote: > My grandmothers were born in the 1800's. The style of > handwriting then is not like it is today. Letters, especially >capital letters, were entirely different. The "T" & "Y", >and the "P"& "R" are easy to confuse. Very true. "S" and "L" are also often mistaken. And sometimes "F" & "T," especially when standing alone as in a middle initial. Margaret