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[Monty Fowler]

Found this while rummaging around on Pacific Wrecks - http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/electra/1055.html - about a certain Lockheed Electra, and at the end there was this: "Thanks to Ric Gellespie for additional information."

I know, my bad.

LTM, who has more than a few cousins,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 CER

[Ric Gillespie]

"Thanks to Ric Gellespie for additional information."

There have been many spellings, but that's a new one.  In 1106 in Irish Gaelic (earliest known version) it was "Ghille Espaic." By 1215 when the family relocated to Scotland it had evolved to "Ghillespeck." In Scots Gaelic it became "Ghilleaspuig" which, by 1640, had been streamlined to "Gillespy"  The current spelling "Gillespie" dates from about 1800.

[Bruce Thomas]

The current spelling "Gillespie" dates from about 1800.

Hi, Cousin Ric. In the past couple of weeks, I explored down one branch of my family tree, and turned up a Georgia county courthouse record of the marriage of one set of great-great-great grandparents in 1832. The bride's family name was spelled the new-fangled way, Gillespie.

[Ric Gillespie]

The bride's family name was spelled the new-fangled way, Gillespie.

Catholic or Protestant?  Most of the Gillespies who emigrated to North America prior to 1800 (we came over in 1794) were Protestant "Ulster Scots" - Scots who had emigrated to Ulster (Northern Ireland) in the 1600s.  Catholic Gillespies started coming to America from Ireland in the 19th century due to the Potato Famine, but that didn't begin until about 1845 so I would imagine that your 1823 ancestor Gillespie was Protestant and probably "Scotch Irish."

[Bruce Thomas]

The bride's family name was spelled the new-fangled way, Gillespie.

Catholic or Protestant?  Most of the Gillespies who emigrated to North America prior to 1800 (we came over in 1794) were Protestant "Ulster Scots" - Scots who had emigrated to Ulster (Northern Ireland) in the 1600s.  Catholic Gillespies started coming to America from Ireland in the 19th century due to the Potato Famine, but that didn't begin until about 1845 so I would imagine that your 1823 ancestor Gillespie was Protestant and probably "Scotch Irish."

Definitely Protestant. And many thanks for the explanation of the from-Scotland-via-Ireland bit, because Margaret "Peggy" A. Gillespie Gibson's son (my great-great grandfather) married a woman whose grandfather emigrated from Northern Ireland to Georgia (and fought in the American Revolution), a man whose forebears are recorded as being from Scotland. Now I understand the migration path better.

[Gus Rubio]

"Thanks to Ric Gellespie for additional information."

There have been many spellings, but that's a new one.  In 1106 in Irish Gaelic (earliest known version) it was "Ghille Espaic." By 1215 when the family relocated to Scotland it had evolved to "Ghillespeck." In Scots Gaelic it became "Ghilleaspuig" which, by 1640, had been streamlined to "Gillespy"  The current spelling "Gillespie" dates from about 1800.

It's fascinating how that happens.  What strikes me is that, at some point, one single person had to have spelled the name differently, right?  Either intentionally or unintentionally; it's quite common for people to have their surnames changed subtly (or even grossly) upon entering the US at Ellis Island, for example- again, either an oversight on the part of an immigration official or a deliberate action ("This name is way too hard to spell.  Ah, this will work.") we may never know.

[Ric Gillespie]

What strikes me is that, at some point, one single person had to have spelled the name differently, right?

The first dictionary of the English language wasn't published until 1747.  Prior to that, there was no right or wrong way to spell anything.  It was all according to custom.   The same person often spelled their own surname different ways at different times.  Another factor, of course, was politics.  In the 1500s, the Gaelic-speaking clans of northern and western Scotland fell under the domination of the English-speaking government in Edinburgh and difficult (for English-speakers) Gaelic names like Ghilleaspuig got Anglicized to Gillespie.  MacDhòmhnaill became MacDonald, and so forth.  The same thing happened at Ellis Island in the U.S. in the late 19th century.  Difficult (for English-speakers) "foreign" names got Americanized.

[Ric Gillespie]

How's this for cool?  In 1215 Ghillechatten Mor Ghillespeck (literally Big Cat Man Gillespie) left Connacht in northwestern Ireland and settled in the district of Lochaber in the western highlands of Scotland.  There is a large rock outcropping just north of Loch Garry in Lochaber that is shown on the oldest maps as Creag Ghilleaspuig (Gillespie Rock).  No one knows how it got its name. There's a legend but it's ridiculous.  It's a special place to me. I go there when I can. 

[Monty Fowler]

Now, now, no fair teasing.

I've had my fill of "give them hope, then take it away" trying to deal with the shutdown government today.

LTM, who only yanks the rug out when appropriate,
Monty Fowler, TIGHAR No. 2189 CER

[Chris Austin]

Many people's names and places of birth got altered on UK censuses over the years due to the person being recorded not being illiterate and the census taker incorrectly transcribing what was said to them. One of my mother's male forebears was recorded in London, with his place of birth listed as Cossey, Norfolk. Now it may be pronounced "Cossey", but it's spelt Costessey.
It adds a bit of effort to records searching.

[Don Dollinger]

Many people's names and places of birth got altered on UK censuses over the years due to the person being recorded not being illiterate and the census taker incorrectly transcribing what was said to them. One of my mother's male forebears was recorded in London, with his place of birth listed as Cossey, Norfolk. Now it may be pronounced "Cossey", but it's spelt Costessey.
It adds a bit of effort to records searching.

Read an interesting article some years ago about Ellis Island and in the early days, many, if not most of the immigrants were illiterate and many names were entered phonetically by the customs agents.  It said that 2 people with the same last name but a different dialect or accent could leave Ellis with different spellings of the same last name due to their pronunciations.

LTM,

Don

[Dan Swift]

You are right Ric about name changes being even more recent.  Many of my Jewish friends don't have to go back but a generation or two to see how their last names were altered (usually shortened) as to NOT sound Jewish as they fled to the U.S. or other countries during WWII.  Most of them know what their 'real' last name used to be before it was changed. 

[Chris Austin]

The family of one of my friends from college had fled from Europe many years before and had changed their name from Cohen; to Coon. He used to joke that anything he did was well researched before any action was taken.

[pilotart]

My Grandparents all immigrated from Sweden in the late 18th Century, my paternal Grandparents met in Warwick, RI and were  married in 1898.  I was told that it was popular in those days to change your surname and would make it more difficult today to trace back into Sweden.  My Mother used to write (in Swedish) to her Cousins, but communications were lost after that.