Records for our ancestors can sometimes be difficult to find. This is especially true in the Southern states because people often used nicknames. One record will have the nickname and the other the proper given name. Then there are the spelling variations of surnames, depending on who gave or recorded information. And of course, there are transcription errors in indexes.

First name variations and nicknames

Many, many of our ancestors went by nicknames. For example, Sallie is often a nickname for Sarah. Patsy could be a nickname for Martha. Bob for Robert, Jack for John, and so on. The Family Search Wiki has a really great list of nicknames and the possible equivalent formal name. If you are stuck and can’t find records for your ancestor, peruse this list and consider some alternatives.

There are many, many examples from my family tree. The best example is Dionisia M. Speaks. Her name could have also been spelled Dionitia. But records were found for her with these first name variations:

1. Dionisia
2. D. M. O.
3. Dincie M.
4. Dionita
5. Dioneta Missouri Oms
6. Dionitea
7. Missouri O.
8. Imoaies (a transcription error)

I suspect Dionisia’s full birth name was Dionisia Missouri Olive Speaks. I do not know the source on Dionisia, but her mother’s name was also Missouri Olive. The first name variations in this family do not end. Dionisia’s daughter Marana Olive Eugenia Hisaw had as many variations. Dionisia’s husband’s name is Leonidas Lafayette Asberry Hisaw. So far Leonidas only has 3 source records. There should be many more and how many are hiding under alternate names?

Normally an unusual name makes it easier to find records. That was not true in this case because of the many variations that are not necessarily similar. For example, Dionitia and Missouri are clearly two different names and so a simple search of an index will not return any results. Similarly, record hinting systems will not provide hints. So how do you find additional records in this case?

Luckily when researching this family, I already had a good start. The family structure mostly existed in Family Search. This allowed me to begin looking at the children and searching for them. By doing this I was able to find Dionitia in additional census records that I was not finding previously. Some of the name variations came from her children’s marriage records. This included the transcription errors that would have been impossible to find otherwise.

Last name variations

Duncan Stewart’s family is a good example in which descendants are debating and constantly changing the spelling of the last name on Family Search. A general guideline is to use the name spelling on the oldest original record. So for example, the 1830 census spells the last name as Stewart. But someone along the line changed both his daughter Amanda and his father’s last name spelling to Stuart. Who is correct?

Another good example from my family is VanPelt versus Pelt. The primary ancestor shows up in the records as John Hugh Pelt. A few of his children went by Pelt and records show up with only Pelt. The rest of his children and descendants went by VanPelt (with and without the a space between Van and Pelt).

Another general guideline is to use the name spelling that shows up most consistently in the records. The various family history sites incorporate various tools that use principles of Soundex to help provide record hints that contain variations. It is helpful, at least in Family Search, to record alternate name spellings to improve the record hinting system as you discover them.

Some of these last name spelling variations developed because of the people recording the names. For example, census enumerators recorded names phonetically, or the person reporting the name spelled it differently then expected. Any information found in a census record should be accepted for what it is, but not as completely true.

Regardless of the records, some genealogists will use a consistent name spelling to make record keeping and sorting easier. Others will insist on only using the name spelling found in the records. If you run across spelling variations in your family tree, try not to become too distressed when you see it. Spend a bit of time looking at the records and only changing the spelling if you have a good reason to do so. Otherwise record the spelling variations in the alternate name or also known as fields on Family Search and Ancestry.

These examples do not include intentional name changes. As an example, the traditional naming patterns for people of Scandinavian descent means the last name may change with each generation. It is assumed the VanPelts are of Dutch origin, though that has yet to be proven on this branch of the family. Regardless, the VanPelts retained their name from the time of their immigration to the United States. There is also the problem of last name assignment that impacted immigrants coming through Ellis Island. There are ways to deal with each of these problems, perhaps later.

Research Tips

The Family Search Wiki has some really great suggestions on how to find records when name or spelling variations exist. These are some of my favorite suggestions:

Try searching for records in competing databases.

Different indexes based on the same record collection may turn up a record. Both Ancestry and Family Search have indexed the same census record collections but used different indexing volunteers. This means the indexes are similar, but with different interpretations. It is worth checking the same record in different databases. I was able to find Dionisia in the 1920 census containing the transcription error by looking at Ancestry. I then found the same record in Family Search to attach to her person page.

Middle name search

Some individuals were given several first names. If that is the case, then search using their middle names in various combinations. For example Leonidas Lafayette Asberry Hisaw can be searched as:

1. Leonidas Hisaw
2. Lafayette Hisaw
3. Asberry Hisaw
4. Lafayette Asberry Hisaw
5. Leonidas Asberry Hisaw
6. Asberry Lafayette Hisaw

And so on.

First or last name search

Search a record collection using either the first or last name only. The last name is especially useful because the search results will return all the individuals with that last name. You may find missing relatives. For example, I searched in the census for all Hisaw families in 1860 in Mississippi. I was able to find Dionisia as Dincie M. Hysaw. Note the last name was also spelled differently, but Soundex helped return the variation.

Use wildcards

Each database search will have variations on how to search, so look for search helps in your database of choice. Generally speaking use a question mark in place of a single letter or an asterisk in place of multiple letters.

For example, the last name Hunsaker could be spelled multiple ways. You could try these search variations:

1. Hun?aker
2. Hun*ker

Amanda Stewart was difficult to find in the 1860 census. She was not listed with her biological father, mother or stepfather. So I searched for extended family members and I had a hard time finding them too. It wasn’t until I added a wild card to a last name search of Pelt (Pe*) that the family popped up in search results. Amanda Stewart was listed with her grandmother Sarah Pelt in the 1860 census, but she was listed as Amanda Love. Love is the last name of her stepfather. The indexer transcribed the last name as Pett instead of Pelt. It is helpful with this kind of search to limit the search to specific locations, otherwise you may get too many results to parse.

Research other family members

Sometimes we find the person we are looking for by not actually looking for them. When no results show up in normal types of searches, it is time to look at extended family. If searching for women, trying searching for the men in their life. Women are found attached to their husbands, brothers, or brothers-in-law. Search the men in the family first, then anyone with an unusual name, followed by any other family members. In the examples above, I searched for Dionisia by searching records for her children. This is the only way I could Dionisia in census records.

Search, search, search

Many of the examples included here required searching the same records over and over again. Often times we think one search will either return the results or not and we quickly move on to something else. But genealogists need to put on Sherlock Holme’s hat and try many variations of search terms in order to find what we are seeking. Try these suggestions and some of the suggestions from the Family Search Wiki.

Please share examples in comments of the name variations you have found in your family.