One of the first things beginning genealogists need to get used to is the fact that they will likely find their ancestors' names spelled inconsistently in historical records. You have to be creative in your search, and frankly, you have to enjoy the process of discovering the sixty million different ways you'll find their names written.
Such is the case for my 2x Great Grandmother Scoatney (Scott) Cooper. The family consensus seems to be that "Scoatney" is correct. Here are 5 ways that that's been heard and interpreted over the years:
1. Scadney / Scodney
2. Sconey
3. Suidney
4. Scatney
5. Scotney
These were all recorded by census takers, who would likely have heard the name pronounced by Scoatney herself or by a member of her immediate family. Two of the names - Scotney and Scatney - show up in other documents as well. What's fascinating is that, with the exception of Suidney, these spellings seem to suggest that there were two, maybe three, ways of pronouncing her name, one that rhymes with "coat," one that rhymes with "cat," and one that rhymes with "cot." The best example I can think of today is the name "Cassandra" - is it Cuh-SAN-dra or Cuh-SAHN-dra?
I think I need to poll her living grandchildren - did they hear different people pronouncing it differently? When, where, how, why? Stay tuned - I may update this post!
Meanwhile, if you're intrigued by the varied spellings of Scoatney's name, check out this post about her sister Masonia - it's a doozy!
Hello. I am a cousin that you have yet to meet. I am the great granddaughter of Flagg Cooper. My grandmother is Lillie Mae Cooper Carter. I was delighted to find your blog about our mutual 3X great grandmother Scoatney Cooper. Be blessed
ReplyDeleteBrijette, Thanks for commenting - I'm so glad you found my blog! I'd love to be in touch outside of it - please feel free to email me at adrienne.whaley [at] gmail.com.
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