"Zizek, Candi (DHS-DCDC-IDB)" <CZizek@dhs.ca.gov> said: >All Irish struggled to keep their O's-which were required to be removed >to get jobs and soup from the soup kitchen. Only the most stubborn held >on to them. But records could be your people either with or without the >O', depending upon who was writing the records (like the English). In all the years I've been researching Irish history and genealogy, this is the first time I have ever heard this explanation of disappearing "O"s. While there are apocryphal tales from Famine times of Irish Catholics being forced to convert to Protestantism before "taking the soup" from non-Catholic relief organizations, I've never seen it alleged that a change in surname was part of the deal. Those who did convert were derided by their co-religionists as "soupers" but this is likely due to the nature of Irish begrudgery, where whenever one's fellows gain some advantage or advancement it is alleged that they did so by nefarious means. -dja