Handwriting of our Ancestors  

VOWEL INTERCHANGING

The use of various vowels can place a name in an index many pages apart from other similar names. Examples are: "Myers," "Mires," "Meyers," "Maeyers" and "Miers" - all placed in an index, some close together and some many pages apart. "Alexander" and "Elexander" not only would not be found under the same first letter, but would appear in different sections of an index. So the genealogical researcher should in many respects disregard vowels when making name searches. Here are more examples:

Jackson	Jacksen	Jacksin
Aldridge	Eldridge	Aldradge
Cunningham	Cannengham	Cunninghum
Allen	Allan	Allin
Potter	Pottar	Pottaer

Other name issues are the names of individuals from the Scandinavian countries. Names were changed by the immigrant or immigration officials. For instance, when the immigrant was in their native country, they may have been John's Son, but on arrival in the U. S., they became Johnson, Johnsen or Johnsin:

John's Son	Johnson	Johnsen	Johnsin
Swen's Son	Swenson	Swensen	Swensin

MIS-FORMED LETTERS OR LOOK-ALIKE LETTERS

Watch for the "L" that looks like a "S" or a "S" that looks like a "L". This is a common misinterpretation when the writer does not differentiate the letters enough for future researchers like us. Some times they are identical, making it difficult for even handwriting experts to tell the difference. The "I" and "J" can also be difficult to distinguish when just written as initials. In addition, an open-topped "a" can be mistaken for a "u," or a close-topped "u" or open-topped "o" can all be confused with each other. The possible combinations are unlimited. Here are a few examples:

Hall	Hull
Baldwin	Boldwin	Buldwin
Tally	Tully