When merging Newberry and Newbury IDs how is the lowest ID determined?

+2 votes
180 views
I am working on merging three profiles, two with the surname spelled Newberry and the other with the surname spelled Newbury. How do I determine the ultimate profile? Is it Newberry or Newbury?
in Policy and Style by Jess Wallace G2G6 Mach 1 (12.3k points)

2 Answers

+3 votes
 
Best answer
In this case (same person with the last name spelled diferently), it is not the lowest number, but the correct last name at birth (LNAB). Determining this frequently requires research. What spelling of last name was used on the persons birth record or other document at the time of his birth? Does the birth record read Newbury or Newberry?

More information on the subject of Last names

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Name_Fields#Last_Name_at_Birth
by Anne B G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)
selected by Maggie N.
Anne, Unfortuneately when dealing with people born in the 1600's there are no documents that are documenting the "correct" spelling. In some cases I have seen children from the same family using different spelling of the surname.
+2 votes
Hello: I am absolutely new to this site so firgive me if I am "horning in" the wrong way, but this message caught my eye immediately--as you can tell.  I am a Newbury and I can tell you that in my experience and family research, Newbury and Newberry are two very distinct families.  I guess my question is: when you "merge" profiles, are you inferring that the Newberrys and Newburys are related?  Cuz I do not think they are, unless it is sometimes spelled wrong in a census or something . . . . so sorry if this is a foolish comment . . . I'll go back to reading the instructions now! :)  But so glad there is work being done on the Newburys--yay!
by Penny Newbury G2G Rookie (280 points)
If you are dealing with the 20th century, then they are indeed two different names and different families, but at any time before universal education (that is roughly 1870) it is very likely that the name of one individual is spelled differently by different people in different places.  I have seen a marriage where the clerk spelled the surname LAMPLOUGH and the bridegroom  his brother and his father all clearly wrote LAMPLUGH. I have seen a will where the man making it wrote his own name four different was in referring to himself and four close relatives.  Some of these examples did refer to Newberry/Newbury specifically.   Some clerks liked a little joke: one wrote Elvish for Elvidge and Bacchus for Backhouse.
Thank you!

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