... and transcription errors add another layer of uncertainty. When my GGGGrandfather Duncan McKellar moved to Islay in the 1840s it was to Kilbhraenan, near Daill. In the transcribed 1861 Census he is shown living at "5 Jorabus" in Kilmeny Parish. There isn't a letter 'J' in Gaelic, and thinking that 'J' sometimes sounds like 'Y' I initially assumed that he had made the short move to Eorrabus, between Bridgend and Ballygrant. Closer inspection of the Enumeration District and Household Schedule Number placed the address near Port Askaig, possibly on the way to Bunnahabhain, which made it very likely that the person transcribing the Census record had misread a 'T' as a 'J' and that the actual address was Torabus, now usually spelled Torrabus. John -----Original Message----- From: Sue Visser via Sent: Wednesday, November 18, 2015 8:31 PM To: SCT-ISLAY-L Subject: [SCT-ISLAY] another answer to census errors Found on Facebook – “Scottish Genealogy” Beware the Ear of the “Hearer” When researching Scottish Records, it is important to remember that the heavy Scottish brogue can add a twist to some words making your research a bit more challenging. When the census taker arrived at the door, he was likely the school master and, being literate (able to read and write), was given the task of asking questions of the locals in the village where he worked. It is also likely that the census taker was not raised in the local village, more likely having come from a larger city or burgh. So, his accent would be quite different to that of the locals. And his ear would be trained to hear things differently than the way the locals spoke. For example, I had a terrible time trying to find the marriage record of my great-great grandfather, Henry Fowler. When I did find him, he was listed as Henry FULLER. The census taker would have asked, “Surname?" and my great-great-grandpa answered "Fooluhr". The "oo" being the brogue when he was enunciating Fowler. --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus