Can we collapse the Agnes Winslows?

Question

Can we collapse

Wynslow-1

Winslowe-1

Winslow-80

Winslow-508

Winslow-769

?  I'm not sure what the policy is when someone has a lot of last-name variants. Thank you.

Comments

BK,

Given the input from Roger and Kathy (see below) I'd say merge all the duplicates into Winslow-80 (the lowest-numbered/earliest profile with the proper Last Name At Birth).

Chris

---

Will do.

Is there a place for storing family name variants? That is, Soundex and the one I cannot remember right now combine names (it seems to me) based on consonants, but that is different from documentable spelling variants. Perhaps this has been discussed before? Thanks. bkm

Answer 1

Hi BK,

Choosing the proper last name at birth is the first challenge here. It's got to be done before any merges.

Who has input?

Chris

Comments

I asked Kathy Patterson for her input on this. She replied: "This is an example of spelling variants in the centuries before the 1700s. I'd use Winslow for consistency."

---

I concur. There's no way to force a solution when none exists; I think the most standard moden spelling is preferable.

---

I concur. None of the people who spelled it differently 200 years ago are going to  complain.Before dictionaries (Ben Johnson) no one was even aware that different spellings were different names.

Go with the modern equivelent and, if needed, mention the alternates in the ==Biography==

---

We need to be careful here, since others may see this question.

Our standard style is to use the names they would have known and used themselves. http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Name_Fields

We only choose a name for them when there was no last name, or in this case, when there was no standard spelling. We should probably clarify that in the style guide.

By the way, alternate spellings should go in the Other Last Names field. http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Name_Fields#Other_Last_Names

---

Chris, I think there's an aspect of the question that's obvious to those who work on these profiles that's not as obvious to people who usually work with more recent ones. We're dealing with people who would have used and accepted several different spellings themselves. (That is, if they were literate to begin with!)

---

Thanks, Roger. If you see ways to improve the style guide, please do.

---

OK, I made an edit--let me know if it works!

---

Thanks, Roger. Looks good.