Hi, Nancy --- Seems to me the interest in the accurate spelling of surnames started around 1880, about the same time Noah Webster published his first dictionary. Lee Wilhite Nancy Hatcher wrote: > Thanks George. Think that pretty much answers my question. I haven't seen > any documents yet so really don't know how she actually spelled her name. > Haven't really researched the Shown name but when I saw the previous message > thought it must be pronounced the same and would give me alternative > spellings to check. > > My aunts must have kept all this family history in their heads I've never > seen any of it written down and when I took notes I actually wrote down > Shawn or Shown, since they never could agree on how it was spelled we just > put down way it sounded. Kinda like census takers huh :) > > >From: "George W. Durman" <GeorgeWDurman@comcast.net> > >Reply-To: WILHITE-L@rootsweb.com > >To: WILHITE-L@rootsweb.com > >Subject: [WILHITE] SCHONE or SHOWN? (WAS: WILHOIT / PARMAN) > >Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2002 04:22:35 -0500 > > > >Nancy, the original German spelling was SCHÖNE; you might find it in > >English as SCHONE or SCHOENE. I'm sure that SHOWN is just another > >way it was written in English. After all, SCHÖNE, or SCHONE, would > >have sounded like SHOWN to an English-speaking person. As to what > >it "should" be, that's a matter of preference. We just have to go by > >what > >is actually entered on legal documents. After all, WILHEIT became > >WILHOIT because of the way some English-speaking clerk heard the > >name, and BROYLES or BREHEL became BRILES in NC, because of > >the way an English-speaking clerk heard it THERE. > > > >Don't forget that back in the "olden days" in Germany, there was really > >no standardized spelling for ANY surname! And, I don't think there is > >any standardized spelling for any surname in America today. It's just > >how it got written down, and whether or not a particular person or > >branch of a family accepted that spelling. > > > >SgtGeorge > > > >At 02/13/2002 03:55 PM Wednesday, Nancy Hatcher wrote: > >*********START OF ORIGINAL MESSAGE TEXT********* > >(snip) > >>My great grandfather was Reubin W. Wilhite b. March 1, 1860, married > >>Ida Florence Hardin. He was the son of Nathaniel Mason Wilhite b. > >>Nov. 19,1828 and Cassandra Shown b. Sept. 4, 1832. > >> > >>This information was given to me by an aunt, my question is the > >>spelling on Cassandra's name. Should it be SCHONE? Is SHOWN just > >>another spelling? Is anyone else researching this line? Would > >>appreciate any and all help. > >> > >>Thanks > >> > >>Nancy > >**********END OF ORIGINAL MESSAGE TEXT********** > >Researching: > CHRISTMAS,DILLARD,DUNAWAY,HARDIN-HARDING,HATCHER,HILL,MORELAND,ROBARDS/ROBERTS,ROWELL, > SOURBEER,SPAULDING,WILHITE > > _________________________________________________________________ > MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: > http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx > > ==== WILHITE Mailing List ==== > Don't forget, there is also a new WILHOIT Mailing List at Rootsweb. > Subscribe to it the same way you did to this WILHITE List. > (To contact the Listowner, send to georgedurman@home.com) > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237