Hi all, Jill, thanks for this! We do have to maintain a sense of humor, don't we? Few things are more varuable than knowledge of nicknames, when trying to make connections. Mary is as likely to be Polly, as William to be Bill, or Robert to be Bob, or Richard to be Dick. Some are far less familiar as Nell = Eleanor. Some are hard to fathom, as Susannah = Suky. One that seems to have been lost, even our ancestors, is Nancy = "little Ann" else why the common though euphonious "Nancy Ann?" A bit redundant! In other words, the genealogist must not only contend with nicknames themselves, but also, must consider that the ancestor's understanding may have been incomplete. There are a few collections of nicknames on the net. I think you could find in Cindi's List. Carl Jill C. wrote: > Funny one~ > : > : The Future Family Tree > : > : A modern mother is explaining to her little girl about pictures in the > : family photo album. "This is the geneticist with your surrogate mother > and > : here's your sperm donor and your father's clone. This is me holding you > : when you were just a frozen embryo. The lady with the very troubled look > : on her face is your aunt, a genealogist." > : > : Hope this brings a smile to your face. > : > : > :