Francesco Acciarito wrote: > I have found a possible ancestor with the christian name of Mercy > (female) but when looking for her name in the IGI, it often comes up as > Mary. Question is, are the two names interchangeable, entirely seperate > names or is Mercy a 'nick-name' for Mary??? Mary and Mercy were two distinct names. It's quite possible that someone unfamiliar with Mercy has misread it as Mary or, more likely, the writing was poor and caused the misreading. Mercy is an old Puritan name. Other Puritan names include Joy, Prudence, Sufferance, Obedience, Faith, Hope, Charity amongst others. Some fell by the wayside but others have continued down to modern times. -- Charani (UK) OPC for Walton, Greinton and Clutton, SOM Asst OPC for Ashcott and Shapwick, SOM http://wsom-opc.org.uk