Surname spelling Cheney/Chaney/Cheeney

Question

Lt. John Cheney is listed in Groton Vital Records (Marriage) as John Cheeney. Under births his name is spelled Cheney.  In death his name is spelled Chaney (Cheney) - his headstone also says Chaney.  One of his wives MVR record in Dunstable has Cheney (Chaney).  He is listed as the son of a Cheney in Wikitree. Throwing out the "Cheeney", what preference should be given to which record as to the proper spelling of his surname?

Answer 1

Cheney (LNAB) is correct. The others can be listed under ‘other last names’

Comments

Thank you for that. Help me understand why.  I originally chose "Cheney" because that is the common spelling in Groton, but, as has been pointed out to me, he has a headstone with the alternate spelling of "Chaney".  While I am familiar with the phonetic spellings of yore as well as stone carver errors, this doesn't seem like that.

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The LNAB is what is preferred at Wikitree. Unless it can be shown to be an anomaly, like everyone else in the family has another spelling, and then you can use that. Unfortunately most records are entered by clergy or census takers and accents or conventions might cause them to enter ‘wrong’ spellings.

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I note that most of the descendants have the "Chaney" spelling.