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Archiver > TMG > 2002-10 > 1033499606


From: "Stuart Armstrong" <>
Subject: Re: [TMG] Family NAME Change
Date: Tue, 01 Oct 2002 13:13:26 -0600
References: <87.21f964a1.2acb3bbb@cs.com>
In-Reply-To: <87.21f964a1.2acb3bbb@cs.com>


wrote:

>> So Benj is Benjamin, Thos is Thomas, Jno is John, etc. If you don't agree --
>> sorry, that is my interpretation of the handwriting. It looks like Thomas
>> to me
>
>Usually I agree, <G> but I have one family where the name is often Benja.
>That is short for Benajah or Benagea, depending on the person doing the
>writing. When we named our oldest, we chose Benagea. ;)

Actually, this is indirectly in a backhanded sort of way the point I was making. You know the name is not Benjamin. If you didn't know it and thought Benja was really Benjamin you would be making a transcription error. You may or may not notice that the scribe who wrote Benja wrote his abbreviation for Benjamin differently. Or maybe he didn't. If he didn't write them differently then it was _his_ error and you could blame it on him. (:</). Point is, when I see a certain abbreviation written a certain way I begin to interpret it based on my understanding (right or wrong) of the scribe's customary way of writing.

Stuart Armstrong
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web page: http://cgi.aros.net/~stuarta

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