In my pursuit of family origins and history, I was very lucky. Most of my family being Catholic proved to be a positive. Marriages, births, and deaths were all meticulously recorded in the church. So after several trips to Canada and then to France, my journey was relatively easy to complete. But for others, the journey of discovery is not always so easy, especially if a surname has changed. I’m not a linguist and I’ve not studied the origins of names but below are some examples that I encountered over the years.

To begin with, a surname can cause some complications in your research. Surnames evolved around the year A.D. 1000 or earlier. I think we all learned about Eric the Red — the Viking explorer and outcast. And of course, his son, Leif “Ericson”! English origins of names are somewhat easy for most of us to follow: Bakers, Carpenters, Coopers, Fishers, Bridges, Hill, etc., because names often came from an occupation or where they lived.

Other languages follow the same origins, if you know the language. In Finnish, Maki means “hill.” A friend of mine family’s name was Hautamaki. Translated, it meant “grave hill.” Sextons possibly? Locally, some surnames of Greek origin can be noted. Argers and Argeropolous are cousins. But to Americanize the Greek name, “opolous” was dropped by one side of the family. “Opolous” meant from or of the area of Arger. Another friend, who moved to Chicago and went into business, felt his longer Greek name might be a complication so he too dropped the “opolous” (sic) to transform Karampelas to Karras.

We French are not exempt. As often occurred, an immigrant was at the mercy of the recorder, especially if the individual was illiterate and there was a language difference. Even census records can be inaccurate.

The church in Ville Nouvelle, Langdoc, France, where Francois Mercure was baptized in 1666, is seen. (Photo courtesy of the Marquette Regional History Center

If your name was Paquette for instance, it could have appeared as Paquette, Paquet, Poquet, Pauquette or however the family themselves spelled it. Even locally, mispronunciations caused issue when recording a surname.

In my greater-extended family research, an Anastassia Mercure (Ann Eliza Mercure) had married a Narcis Troquie (Tro-kay) which when Anglicized became Nelson and Eliza Truckey.

The French name Gauthier is another often heard and seen locally. In English, we tend to say “Goth-i-er.” In French, it is more likely to be pronounced as “Go-tee-eh.” But a change accepted by some, pronounces it as “Go-chee.” My grandmother was a Gagnon (“Gag-Non” in English), “Guy-yon” or “Gon-you” in French. I’m a Mercure (“Mare-kur”) but a generation ago some figured it was the same as Mercury (“Mur-cure-ree”) so they started calling my relatives “Mer-Cree.” My Dad married a woman of English heritage and so it is: “Mer-cure”! This only throws researchers a curve ball because of how it is recorded. Records, recorded in cursive, was another issue. How clearly was it written and of course who was transcribing it.

Even Native Americans were not exempt. When asked by the French what the local native people called themselves, they responded “Otchipwe” * (Ot-chip-wah) which the the French ear recorded as Ojibwe (O-jib-wah). When asked the same question by the English, they again responded “Otchipwe.” But the English ear missed that first syllable and recorded it as Chippewa (Chip-wah). Essentially, the same native people but two different names based on language differences.

The secretary I worked with for years’ maiden name was Novasconi but her own brother shortened it to Noasconi. Sometimes this became necessary because of misspellings on birth certificates, social security records, etc. in order to receive a driver’s license or pensions. And nicknames or using middle names often causes further confusion.

The key is establishing as clear a path as possible connecting family members. Spellings of surnames may actually vary but keep the big picture in mind, explore sound records, and don’t let an error in recording throw you off.

Some day you might ask our history center librarian, Rosemary (Virch) Michelin, how her ancestor whose last name was Nelson became “Virch” as a result of him being a veteran of the Civil War.

Well good luck. Genealogy is one the best puzzles you will ever attempt to complete. Have fun with it! Surprises have to be anticipated, starting with your own name.

* Spelling from Otchipwe Language Dictionary created by Frederick Baraga.