Surnames have changed over the centuries. They became more widely used by the 1400s in England, with surname origins and use differing in other countries and cultures.
Anyone who has done research knows that many different nonrelatives have been responsible for errors of transcription, indexing and interpretation. Sometimes, when we interview someone, we write it down phonetically, only to learn the proper spelling later.
You should try to learn the meaning and origin of your surname, or at least of the name as it’s currently spelled. Many things could have happened to a name: translation, shortening, respelling or misspelling.
If you are researching an unfamiliar name, you should make a list of all the alternatives as you find them, because some online indexes, like ancestry.com and some DNA programs, only search for the exact spelling, while larger sites, like Google, will pull up alternatives. If you think your name never changed, you are in for a rude awakening.
A new group, the Surname Society, formed this past fall, is based in England and plans to build a new data base for surname projects. It costs to join, but could be worth it; check it out at surname-society.org.
There also is the older Guild of One-Name Studies — founded in 1979 and also based in England — at one-name.org. They have several thousand surnames under study, and there is a membership fee.
You can find a lot of other useful data about surnames and other groups in a general Internet search.
Genealogy programs on TV
“Genealogy Roadshow” recently began its second season on PBS, showing on Georgia Public Broadcasting at 8 p.m. Tuesdays. In its first season, the hosts selected people they met at a public venue and worked on their genealogy, giving some details of how they went about their research.
“Who Do You Think You Are?” will return Feb. 24 on TLC; more details later on that.
Check online for information on each program.
State archives on one website
The holdings of 37 state archives can be reached by going to one website: rc.statearchivists.org. Under "states," see the map to select a state. This consortium, sponsored by the Council of State Archivists, makes it easy to check any archives that are included.
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