MISSPELLINGS, ABBREVIATIONS, AND INITIALS

Having trouble finding your ancestors in a database? Databases are
rather picky creatures; one key letter read wrong by the database
creator can throw a huge monkey wrench into your search. Often-
confused letters in transcriptions and indexes include:

L and S
T and F
J, G, and Y
I and J
K and R
O and Q
P and R
U and W

In addition, vowels are also frequently misinterpreted. Switching
similar-looking letters or vowels in the surnames you are researching
can bring surprisingly good results.

Another way to overcome misspelled surnames would be to try some
advanced searches using only given names, and to include other
criteria to narrow it down. The success of this method would
naturally depend on the size and nature of the database, but it often
works.

Given names can present their own difficulties. How often have you
seen records listing William as Wm; Thomas as Thos; Robert as Robt;
James as Jas; Charles as Chas, etc. And how about initials?
Probably quite often. These are possibilities that should not be
overlooked when including a given name in your search.
"Ancestry Daily News"
recently
Watkins turned up as Walkin
Tovey as Sovey
Lapham as Lupham