There's Only One Chicken in Alaska

Drawn from Donald Orth's 1967 Dictionary of Alaska Place Names:

Mishap Creek, aka Big Loss Creek, is Unimak Island stream named for a lighthouse keeper who stripped naked to cross the water, then tried to throw his clothes to the other side, only to watch helplessly as they landed downstream and disappeared.

There's Chicken, an old mining town established during the Klondike Gold Rush. A detailed history of the name is not in Orth's dictionary, but according to oft-told lore, miners wanted to call the community Ptarmigan after a bird common to the area, but no one knew how to spell it. So they settled on Chicken, since miners also called ptarmigans "tundra chickens."

Atlasta Creek was inspired by a remark uttered by the wife of the owner of a nearby roadhouse after the first building was completed: "At last a house."

Lost Temper Creek, an Arctic Slope stream, was named over a "camp incident." [Link]

[via Neatorama]

Hey Lydia, Guess Who Likes You!

Each year (usually around Valentine's Day) elementary-school students in Haverhill, Mass., pass on a message from a former pupil.

Yesterday morning the students descended on the historic Walnut Cemetery and remembered schoolboy emotions that ran through the heart of Haverhill's favorite son, John Greenleaf Whittier, when he was around their age.

It has become a tradition in Haverhill with local students gathering around the gravestone of Lydia Ayer to recite a poem by Whittier recalling his childhood sweetheart and a moment following a school spelling bee when she confesses, "I'm sorry that I spelt the word: I hate to go above you, because — the brown eyes lower fell — because, you see, I love you!" [Link]

SSINF (So Stupid It's Not Funny)

The Daily Mail reports that the popularity of text messaging is influencing the naming of children.

Anne has been changed to An, Connor to Conna and Laura to Lora.

There were reportedly six boys who were named Cam'ron instead of Cameron, and according to the online parenting club Bounty, one girl born last month was born Flicity.

John Dunford, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that it was possible that new mothers and fathers had lost the ability to spell forenames.

He added: "Some of it is genuine misspelling; some is parents looking for a unique way to spell a name and some is just carelessness." [Link]

[Thanks, Nancy!]

Just a Stick and a Brick

Dan Aldrich's family in Michigan has been playing a backyard game for generations, but no one's sure how to spell its name.

Is it C-a-d-d-y? C-a-d-d-i-e? Or is some other variation correct?

"I've never written it down," the Lyndon Township resident says. "If you ask 10 Aldriches how to spell it, you might get 10 different spellings."

The game is played with a sawed-off broomstick and a brick.

People young and old can enjoy the game, Aldrich says.

"Everyone sits around in the grass and there's excessive heckling," he adds. "About how you swing, how silly you look with the stick." [Link]

I Before E, Except After F

An article on "artist and raconteur" Willy Feilding provides an explanation of his last name:

For Feilding, whose unusual surname is due to the fact, he says, that his parents misspelt it on his birth certificate, is not merely a painter and bon viveur.

The bohemian 66-year-old, a cousin of the Earl of Denbigh, has been a friend and companion to some of the world's most colourful celebrities, from the moustachioed madness that was Salvador Dali to that peerless beauty Princess Grace of Monaco. [Link]

The name "Feilding" isn't that unusual. Willy's relatives, the Earls of Denbigh, have used that spelling since the title was created in 1622.

I Have No Confidence in His Spelling

Cecilio Morales explains that, in addition to suffering from memory lapses, embattled AG Alberto Gonzales is also spelling his last name wrong. First off, it should end in "ez."

Surnames ending in az, ez, oz or iz are all patronymics. That’s a word from the Greek meaning “father’s name.”

Second, he's missing a critical diacritic.

Gonzalez, the real name, carries a diacritical or accent mark over the a. That’s for the well-known rule that words stressed in the penultimate syllable are accented if they do not end in a vowel or the consonants n or s.

So what do we do with the name-mangling attorney general? Purists insist that since the name ought to be Gonzalez, Gonzales should have an accent. [Link]

How Bad Could Their Spelling Bee?

All the patients buried at North Dakota's state mental hospital since 1885 can be identified, despite some creative spelling on their stones.

"Many of the early markers were made at the hospital," [George] Barron said. Most of the names on the grave markers are misspelled, or "were shortened to fit on the stones," made either from concrete or granite, he said. Some of the older markers are 6 feet tall, he said.

"They're all marked but almost all except in recent times have goofy spellings," Barron said. "They didn't know how to spell - but they're close enough to figure out who they are." [Link]

When Spelling Counts, Check Your Stomach

A man applying for a marriage license in Alabama needed help spelling his mother's name.

Morgan County Probate Judge Greg Cain told Chris Paschenko that the man spelled her name incorrectly on the application, and clerk Denise Iovino needed the correct spelling.

Denise said the man then lifted his shirt, which revealed stomach tattoos that spelled his mother's and father's names. [Link]

Let's hope he didn't get inked by this guy.

Vowel Movement

New York Mets pitcher John Maine's grandfather must never have visited my home state—a place noticeably lacking "pizzazz."

Maine [...] said his father's family surname used to be Main, but that his grandfather added the "E" for pizzazz and mystique. Tom Glavine, part Irish, said some members of his family have dropped "E" for reasons of proper pronunciation. "Actually," Glavine said, "I think my family gave the 'E' to the Maines." [Link]

Not Yet a Dead Letter

Viktor Chumakov's mission in life is to save the seventh letter of the Russian alphabet from extinction and, by doing so, preserve the traditional spellings of some 2,500 Russian surnames (including Khrushchyov and Gorbachyov).

The letter "ё" (pronounced "yo") first appeared in 1795, but fell on hard times when printers began dropping the dots to save a few kopeks. The letter was also hanging out in the wrong neighborhoods.

Part of the reason for the demise of the letter 'ё' could be because of its unsavory associations with Russian 'mat' -- the colorful language within a language that constitutes Russian swear words. Very few words begin with 'ё' in Russian, and most of the ones that do would make a sailor blush.

But Chumakov says he is not deterred by the letter's reputation -- he has written three books on the history of the 'ё' and a dictionary of words that contain the letter. To date, there are 12,500 ordinary words and 2,500 surnames. And he didn't include a single curse. [Link]

Those two little dots do make a difference. Without them, a Russian bride might be given a "solityor" (tapeworm) instead of a "soliter" (diamond).

It Wasn't a Pauling, It Was a Pawling

Brian Pauling found out in eighth grade that someone at his school shared his name. He'd asked his mother to drop off some food for him, and five minutes later heard his name called over the P.A. system.

"They asked me if I was Brian Pauling and I said yes, and they gave me two big bags of candy," said Pauling. "I brought it back to my team and we started eating all of it. I got recalled down to the office and they said, You're not Bryan Pawling.'"

It wasn't until his freshman year that Pauling met the other Bryan Pawling and told him about the candy. [Link]

According to Brian's uncle, the Paulings and the Pawlings are two branches of the same family that split over their differing views on slavery. After this candy incident, it's unlikely that the branches will ever reconcile.

He Got the 'ell' Out of the Army

81-year-old James Pickell of Loudon County, Tennessee, got his last name in World War II.

His farmer father was Robert Pickel, with one "l." When James was born, he says, the doctors put "le" on his birth certificate, so he arrived as James Pickle, the son of Robert Pickel. If that is clear.

"When I came out of the Army, they had my name spelled 'ell' on my discharge. So, I stuck with that." [Link]

How Many Ways Can 'Mackenzie' Be Misspelled?

BabyCenter.com has the top baby names of 2006, and the top baby name trends. Earning a notable mention is Mackenzie—27th most popular name for girls, and the name with the most spelling variations at 45.

Mackenzie Mckenzie Mackenzi Mackenzee Mackinzie Mackensie Mackenize Mackinzy Mackinsey Mackenzy Mackenzey Machenzie Mackynzi Mackinze Mackenziee

Mackanzie Macinzee Machkenzie Macenzie Mckinzie Mckenzee Mckenzi Mckynzie Mckinzee Mckenzye Mckenzy Mckenzey Mckenze Mckenize Makenzie

Makenzi Makenzy Makensie Makynzie Makynze Makenize Makynzye Makynzi Makinzy Makinzie Makinzi Makenzee Makinze Makinsy Mykenzie

The name's high ranking is undoubtedly due to the continued popularity of 1970s teen actress Mackenzie Phillips.

The Three Rs

Here's an example from the Philippines of why, when transcribing official documents, a genealogist should leave even obvious errors uncorrected.

I had a friend whose birth was recorded in a faulty typewriter of a provincial municipality. The typewriter would produce three letters instead of one, such as in his case three Rs instead of one. He was called Rex but the typewriter showed RRRex. Since that was how his birth certificate showed it, he went through life with that spelling because that was what was demanded by every government office he passed. All mindlessly insisted that he spell his name with three Rs. So, he did to save himself grief. It was irrational and ridiculous and he went to his grave with the three Rs. [Link]

A Kerfuffle in Hollsopple

Ed Holsopple is lobbying to change the name of a Pennsylvania town from "Hollsopple" to "Holsopple." The controversy stems from an old disagreement within the Holtzapfel family as to how to spell their name. They settled upon "Holsopple" in 1880, but the town wound up with an extra letter.

Residents in this leafy community unsurprisingly are mixed on the name change.

“If they’re going to change it, I’m for it,” said Mike Burkett. “I believe that’s the way it was originally spelled.”

Others sided with two L's.

“I’m so used to writing it this way. I’d like to keep it,” Chad Varner said.

“It doesn’t matter, but I’m used to spelling it with two L's,” added Wanda Rager before entering the post office.

One woman remained indifferent to the spelling dilemma.

“It doesn’t matter to me as long as I get my mail,” said Mabel Fox. [Link]

Colorado Springs Invaded by Zombies

The folks at KOAA-TV maybe should upgrade their spell-checker.

Last Name First, Last Name Last

The reversed order of names in some Asian countries can confuse slow-witted Westerners. An actress and model from Singapore was born Fann Woon Fong—her surname being Fann—and she resisted early in her career pressure to use a "Christian" name that Western clients could more easily remember. That changed when she was 18, and a magazine misspelled her name as "Fann Wong."

She stormed home and threw the offending magazine on the table to show her mother. Before she could lament, her mother, Wong Siew Toy, saw the name and said delightedly: “Woon Fong, it is so sweet of you to do this! I am so happy you went to such lengths for me.”

“I didn’t know what Mum was talking about (at first),” says Fann Wong with a grin. “Then it dawned on me that Fann is Dad’s surname and Wong is Mum’s surname. Of course, I was smart enough to keep quiet and not tell her how annoyed I was over that name. ‘Fann Wong’ made her so happy, so I decided to use it from that day onwards. It was years later before she found out, ha ha!” [Link]

[tagged: genealogy, family tree, ancestry]

Transcribers Shouldn't Spell-Check

Connie Lenzen gives some good advice today for genealogists eager to "correct" their ancestors' mistakes: Leave 'em be.

The spelling and punctuation quirks give us a sense of the times when our ancestor was living and when Standard English was different than it is now.

Besides, we may make dreadful errors if we insert commas where they shouldn't be. The ancestor whose will says, "And I leave to my derely belovd children viz: anna mariah jane martha john hennery mary louizer and stephen " did not have nine children. He had five: Anna Mariah, Jane Martha, John Henery, Mary Louizer/Louisa, and Stephen. [Link]

[tagged: genealogy, family tree, ancestry]

Some Able Mabel Researchers

Some fourth- and fifth-grade students at Titus Elementary School in Huber Heights, Ohio, are well on their way to becoming fine genealogists.

One of their number, Tahmyrah Lytle, noticed that a plaque outside said the school was named for "Mable Titus," while a plaque inside said "Mabel Titus." The teacher of their gifted social studies class set them to work resolving the discrepancy.

The students' research revealed her name was spelled both ways in the "History of Wayne Township" book. They also found it both ways in the 1910 census (Mabel) and in the 1930 census (Mable).

But the majority of their research indicated Mabel was the correct spelling. This included the Titus yearbook, a church directory, her obituary, a newspaper article on Titus, her social security number and her will. The students decided that this spelling was correct by comparing her signature on a former student's 1949-50 report card to her signature on her 1939 marriage records to Karl Titus.

The students want future generations to be aware of the correct spelling of Mabel. However, the class has been unable to figure out Mabel's middle name. [Link]

No middle name? Recess is cancelled!

[tagged: genealogy, family tree, ancestry]

Errant Spelling Finally Fixed

Pvt. Dennis Buckley came all the way from Lindsay, Ontario, to fight with the Union Army. You'd think that getting shot in the head after capturing a Confederate flag and winning a posthumous Medal of Honor would guarantee him a fitting monument. But a misspelling ("Burkley") on his headstone in Marietta National Cemetery kept his heroism from being noticed for 142 years.

Through the efforts of John DuBois of Caledonia, N.Y., the Department of Veterans Affairs has finally ordered Buckley a new stone, with his name spelled correctly, and an inscription noting his Medal of Honor.

But the government had to slip in some evidence to assure us of its continued incompetence.

[A] press release from the Department of Veterans Affairs announcing the headstone change incorrectly spelled Lindsay, Ontario, and had the wrong style for DuBois' name, using a lowercase 'b'. [Link]