re irish Surname problem. Surname spelling variances is not a unique Irish problem, with my own name I have seen several spelling variances in Ireland and England, and now that I live in the US, I have seen many variances in the names of others. I have studied the Church Records in Castlecomer and seen my family name recorded several ways, but I have supporting evidence from other sources to stick to one spelling. Bear in mind that 100 plus years ago, many people could not read or write, so when they gave their name to someone the listener would write what they think they heard. So for example, when they landed at Ellis Island the name would be recorded as it sounded to the recorder, and considering some of the accent variances, the name could be interpreted differently by the listener who may not have been familiar with the brogue, of the speaker, or some of the complicated variances of S and Z or the V and W in many European names. Subsequently when their children went to school, there may be another variance added by the teacher. Regards Bill Leacock

Very true, Bill. Thanks for your input. Jean -----Original Message----- From: William Leacock Sent: Friday, September 27, 2013 1:10 AM To: Carlow Subject: [IRL-CARLOW] Irish Surname Problem re irish Surname problem. Surname spelling variances is not a unique Irish problem, with my own name I have seen several spelling variances in Ireland and England, and now that I live in the US, I have seen many variances in the names of others. I have studied the Church Records in Castlecomer and seen my family name recorded several ways, but I have supporting evidence from other sources to stick to one spelling. Bear in mind that 100 plus years ago, many people could not read or write, so when they gave their name to someone the listener would write what they think they heard. So for example, when they landed at Ellis Island the name would be recorded as it sounded to the recorder, and considering some of the accent variances, the name could be interpreted differently by the listener who may not have been familiar with the brogue, of the speaker, or some of the complicated variances of S and Z or the V and W in many European names. Subsequently when their children went to school, there may be anot! her variance added by the teacher. Regards Bill Leacock ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to IRL-CARLOW-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message