Interchangeable Given Names

[Zenobia]

When searching Cornish records there are some female given names that are frequently used interchangeably and can cause problems for the new or uninformed family searcher. Below are a few examples.

Christian/Catherine - although both of these function as independant names, they are frequently interchanged in Cornish records. I believe this is due to the fact that the common nickname for both is "Kitty"; hence the confusion as to which full given name the person might be using.

Margaret/Margery - again, these are independant names, and sometime both will be found in one family, but they are also frequently interchangeable in the records. I have one instance where a family has both a Margery and a Margaret recorded in the parish register, but in the father's will the girls are referred to as "my older daughter Margaret" and "my younger daughter Margaret".

Ann/Amy - this one occurs less frequently and sometimes can be attributed to a misreading of parish entries, but I have seen a few instances where these names are genuinely interchanged.

Jane/Joan - a tricky one as they are usually independant names, with both frequently being found in the same family, but it is not unusual to find a particular Jane described as Joan about one time out of four in the parish registers, and vice versa.

And a further note - in spite of the obvious similarity between Elizabeth and Eliza, in Cornwall at least these two seem to never occur interchangeably but always as two separate names!

[Cornish Terrier]

A little note that might help.
The reference to the usage of names is interesting and, in the main, quite correct.
However I will add something to the JANE/JOAN scenario.
Unless one is looking at the 'original Parish Registers', or at least films of them, it must be remembered that what we are looking at is another person's transcription and interpretation of what they saw.

JONE is another version of the above - so, is it JANE or is it JOAN??

I have also seen records showing the name JOSH where the name should have been JOHN.

Then there are the surnames - TRENHELA interpreted from TREWHELA etc.

And one I just found whilst searching the 1930 US Census:-

A family of Trewhella's in Maine shows up an interesting item.

The family is of James Trewhella (Head of household) living with his wife and two children and his father.

The wife's name, in the transcript published on the Ancestry.com site is KANALE F Trewhella.
I have seen this many times and always thought it a strange name. I had never heard or seen it before but that means nothing - there are probably many names I have not come across over the years. However, it did seem strange.

And then, last night, I managed to get a JPEG copy of the relevant Census page!
Although very difficult to read from the image I have I can see that the transcriber has probably 'given up' and 'given it their best shot' so to speak.

In actual fact, a close look shows a bit of dark smudge at the start of the name but if looked at really carefully the name does actually read - BLANCHE F

And this might just have solved another problem for me!

So, be wary of Transcripts and always question things you are unsure of - another persons interpretation may be invaluable.

[Zenobia]

When it comes to Ancestry's indexing nothing surprises me....

I have been told (dunno if it is true or not) that Ancestry outsources its transcribing work to India and Pakistan. If that is true, then it is amzing to think that the transcriptions are even half as accurate as they are. I mean, imagine for a minute that you were asked to transcribe a hundred year-old document written in Hindustani (which you had presumedly learned as a second language) with lots of surnames that you were unfamiliar with.

Of course, sometimes the original census takers don't even get it right. I was searching once for the Joseph Ebenhoch family in 1930 in Akron. I knew they were there, because Joe and his entire family were born there and lived there all their lives, but I couldn't find them. Finally I began searching just on the name of one of the daughters that was a bit unusual, and found them under the name Hock. Joseph was actually enumerated as: Joe Eben Hock, as if Eben were his middle name!

[Cornish Terrier]

And now I have another one from the 1930 US Census.
The Transcribed Record shows:-
Name: ALVIN Trewhella
Home in 1930: Seattle, King, Washington
Age: 62
Estimated Birth: abt 1868
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head: Head
Spouse: Sophia L
Race: White

The only name remotely resembling this that I know of in the family is CALVIN but he was born in 1924.
My Image of this page is extremely hard to read and it almost gets worse as you enlarge it.
However, the name is certainly NOT ALVIN!
First glance suggested it could be JAMES but a much closer look with the best image I could get - I would say the name is THOMAS.

I am also not certain about SOPHIA L - the name looks 'possible' but I think it is more like JOHANNA with the initial looking more like X.

And the best I can make of this man's age is 68.

Her name 'could' be SOPHIA when looking at the image magnified as much as possible without making it absolutely unreadable but a cannot decipher her 'relationship to head'.
It definitely appeasr both are married with he having been first married at (it looks like) 32 and she at (looks like) st.
However, her age at the time of Census looks more like 18.

Ain't life fun!

[Cornish Terrier]

Here is another 'little something' for you!

Whilst glancing through the 1891 UK Census I came across another interesting entry.
This regards siblings Emmeline and Ernest Trewhella who were born about 1879 and 1881 respectively.
The transcribed index gives their birthplace as NEW IRELAND!
They are enumerated with their parents but that is not relevant at the moment.

What IS relevant is this:-
I saw this Census Record when I was in Salt Lake City in 1994 (on film, of course) and I can say that there is more than one error in this particular transcription.
1. - The surname is TREWHEELA
2. - The Birthplace is NEW ZEALAND!

AND - I have just had a look at that image through another source and I can, once again, confirm what I have just pointed out.
In the case of the Birthplace I will give a little (but very, very little) leeway as the 'Z' in Zealand is quite unique - but unmistakably, to me, just that - 'Z'.
If the first character is misinterpreted then the second character 'e' could possibly be taken for 'r' - but the third character is most definitely, and clearly, an 'a'.

I can understand the problems of the people who do these transcriptions as I have 'had a go' myself.
After a while your eyes get tired and you see things (or do not see things) in different ways and, unbeknownst to yourself, you begin to get lazy in what you are doing.

So please do not hang too much 'dirty stuff' on these people - they have, at least, given most of us something to work with!

The big problem we face is that many people (myself included in the past) have taken all this work at face value and not gone 'the extra yard' to use that information to trace further records and confirmation of what has been transcribed.

I have 'pretty much' learned my lessons over the years and now have to query most things.

I hope everyone who looks at this will take it upon themselves to delve deeper and not rely entirely on what someone else has done!

[Cornish Terrier]

And yet another one!

1891 Census for the UK

Walter E Trewhella is listed as 'daughter' in the Index.

But a look at an image of the original is interesting and shows another problem with transcriptions.

The name above Walter E Trewhella is Christopher Trewhella who is listed as 'Son' of the 'head of household'.

With Walter E being next on the page the reference to 'relationship' reads - 'Do.'

The transcriber has read this as 'daughter' when, in fact, it is the (to me) well-known abbreviation of DITTO.

Mind you - I would have thought the transcriber might have picked up on the fact that WALTER is 'regularly' known as a girl's name? ;D

So - Beware the Transcription!

[Cornish Terrier]

Firstly, a 'correction' to my last!
My last comment was:-
"Mind you - I would have thought the transcriber might have picked up on the fact that WALTER is 'regularly' known as a girl's name? "

Think I meant that WALTER is 'regularly' known as a BOY's name!

NOW - as a final note before I head off to bed.

Whether dealing with Transcriptions or trying to decipher original documents there are many things to remember - and to be wary of.

I will deal briefly here with a 'wary of' scenario.

The letters - m, n, u, v and w can often be misinterpreted when reading old documents.
Similar with - f, j, t and, sometimes, s.

One that I can hilight is that of a marriage I found in IGI many years ago:-
John Trewhela m. Mary Hannah FRESTAIN at Truro November 24th, 1857

I laboured with that for years and was able to get absolutely nowhere with it.
I knew pretty well who John was but .....

And then recently I found another item.
I believe I was trolling through St Catherine's House Marriage Indices when I found the solution.

Her name was actually - Mary Hannah TRESTAIN - a much more Cornish sounding name!

And I have seen my surname translated as 'Frenhela', Frewhella etc. so beware the Transcription and be aware of the way you interpret old documents.

[Zenobia]

Yep. must beware also of people who misinterpret "I ordaine my wife" for "Jordaine my wife". Remember that one? It has become a favorite story of mine to tell in genie circles...

[Zenobia]

ianjtrewhella said:

And now I have another one from the 1930 US Census.
The Transcribed Record shows:-
Name: ALVIN Trewhella
Home in 1930: Seattle, King, Washington
Age: 62
Estimated Birth: abt 1868
Birthplace: Michigan
Relation to Head: Head
Spouse: Sophia L
Race: White

The only name remotely resembling this that I know of in the family is CALVIN but he was born in 1924.
My Image of this page is extremely hard to read and it almost gets worse as you enlarge it.
However, the name is certainly NOT ALVIN!
First glance suggested it could be JAMES but a much closer look with the best image I could get - I would say the name is THOMAS.

I am also not certain about SOPHIA L - the name looks 'possible' but I think it is more like JOHANNA with the initial looking more like X.

And the best I can make of this man's age is 68.

Her name 'could' be SOPHIA when looking at the image magnified as much as possible without making it absolutely unreadable but a cannot decipher her 'relationship to head'.
It definitely appeasr both are married with he having been first married at (it looks like) 32 and she at (looks like) st.
However, her age at the time of Census looks more like 18.

Ain't life fun!

The names are defintitley Alvin and Sophia. He is 62, she is 64. It is actually quite clear when you blow it up.

He is born in Michigan, she in Mass. His parents both b. in Germany, hers in Canada and Maine.

The surname is the problem - the ending did not look like 'hella' to me, but more like 'heth'...

And here is the solution, in the 1920 census:

Seattle, Kings Co., Wash. E.D. 133, Sh. 4b:

Alvin Isenhath, age 49, b. Michigan, both parents b. Germany
Sophia Isenhath, age 53, b. Mass., f. b. Canada, m. b. Maine

I found them in 1910 too in Oregon. They had three children, Jessie, Minnie and Harold.

[Cornish Terrier]

Okay - I can 'sort of' see it now.
You must have a much clearer image than I but, even blurred, now that I 'blow it up' I can see the possibility of 'Isenhath'.
I can still not make 'Alvin' out of the Christian name and I cannot make out his age to be anything other than 68.
And 'her' age still looks more like 18 to me.
However, if you can deal with the image I sent via email and confirm we are looking at the same one it would be appreciated and it will help loosen one 'red herring' from discussion.

[Zenobia]

Email image received. Yes, same image, but really poor quality. I forgive you for not being able to read it - I couldn't either...

[trencrom]

admin said:

Yep. must beware also of people who misinterpret "I ordaine my wife" for "Jordaine my wife". Remember that one? It has become a favorite story of mine to tell in genie circles...

This would not be a Towednack family by any chance?

[trencrom]

Personally I think the best transcriptions are likely to be the ones done by geanealogicval or local history researchers with a knowledge of the area and of the surnames likely to be prevalent there.
In one case someone gave a surname as "Thomas" but I looked at it and concluded that it was actually "Stevens".
In another case, the surname was given as "Juglip" but proved to be "Inglis" instead.

[Cornish Terrier]

Towednack Family - What makes you think that.

Yes - I would reckon the document had something to do with the Baragwanath Family.

Have been looking at your other posts and agree but thought it better not to answer everyone of them.

I do 'try' to avoid cluttering up the Board if I can.

But if you take a look through the Trewhella and/or Towednack areas of the Board you will see that 'Trewhella' has turned up i US Census Records as 'Drewlee' and also other variations.

Makes the life of the family historian very interesting.

Makes the life of the 'normal person' trying to trace their family - HELL