> wren-suh-leer / Wren-slur --that explains how it got spelled Rensclaar on > the family group sheet she must have heard it pronounced as Wren slar > Kathie in Montana Yes, ren'-slur is indeed a local colloquial pronunciation. However, to the thousands of R.P.I. graduates who have spread out all over the world since the school was founded in 1824, their alma mater is pronounced with three syllables. This is the pronunciation passed along to the rest of the world. The alma mater goes as follows: "Here's to old R.P.I. Her fame may never die Here's to old Rensselaer (sung with three syllables ren-suh-leer) She stands today without a peer" etc. Another old school song is a spelling reminder I learned as a child: "Can you spell Rensselaer (sung ren-suh-leer)? R-e-n-s-s If not you're no engineer e-l-a-e-r" etc. Pick your pronunciation, local or global. For family historians, it is always a good idea to know the alternative pronunciations of places, especially as they may be recorded as they sounded to the recorder. Thanks for the reminder. Rogers