"LAY" is not correct

+3 votes
162 views
The correct spelling is "Lea" and before this in England, they spelled it :Leigh".    

Just an FYI
WikiTree profile: William Lea
in Genealogy Help by

I think several of my LAY ancestors would disagree with you. wink

You are absolutely correct. I am the group administrator for the Caswell County YDNA Project with 58 males, some are LAY, 1 is Leigh, 2 are Walker and they are related to the LEAS, LEES of Caswell County but their YDNA shows the LAY and Walker distinct from the Lea, Lee group.  This group shows an origin 1600 years ago in Norway, and they were probable Viking  Colony plants in the UK.  We do not know if the Walkers preceded the Lays or Leas, or vice versa. No one in this group descends from the Leigh’s or Lee’s of VA

2 Answers

+7 votes
Actually Lay is a form of Leah, Lea etc. it came to England during the Norman Conquest.

I would agree that is not as common as the other variations, but it is still valid
by Living Poole G2G Astronaut (1.3m points)
+6 votes
Regardless of what the spelling may have been generations ago, if later generations used a different spelling, then the different spelling is correct for them.

Don’t forget the old adage: In genealogy, spelling doesn’t count.
by George Fulton G2G6 Pilot (620k points)

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