To add to what Lyndall has to say, census enumerators had to supply pen and ink at their own expense. To save on ink they would use pens with a very fine nib, and they would water down the ink. Anyone who has tried to read some of the old census enumerators books will know that recording the data for later generations to read easily was not uppermost in their minds. Iain Glasgow, Scotland ---------- > From: Lyndall <lyfrah@goldweb.com.au> > To: SCT-INVERNESS-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [SCT-INV-L] Re: Spelling of Last name > Date: 15 November 2000 19:17 > > I'm often surprised that so many people query the spelling variations of a > name. > Quite apart from the fact that spelling variations occur because a person is > illiterate and, therefore, is dependent on the 'hearer' writing down the > correct name, have the people who question the spelling variations > considered the fact that the scribes had to write with a quill dipped in > ink? Abbreviations, under those circumstances, would be the norm! Surely > everyone recognises that 'Rbt' = Robert, and that 'Jas' = James etc., > without question! The same scribes will confidently wrote Mac as "Mc". It's > all quite logical. > > Lyndall > Canberra > >