Surname written/transcribed different ways: Jülai, Jälin, Jel, Uehl, Uehle, Jeh, etc. Which to use?
When I search in Weilheim records, for one variation of this surname, other spellings display as well. But are they all truly the same surname? If so, what is the best or preferred spelling to use? The records are from the late 1600s and early 1700s.
The original record I searched for was a marriage record for Michael Marder. His bride’s name is spelled Anna Jülai.
But for their son Joannes’ baptism record, her surname is transcribed as Uehl, but written in the feminine form as Anna Üehlin. However, the baptism record immediately below has a father’s name of Uehle. I have been told that when the “in” is added, a name ending in “e” sometimes has the “e” dropped in favor of the “in.” So is the surname Üehl or Üehle, or one of the other spellings?
For their son Josephus, her name is transcribed as Jeh, but spelled in the record as Jehlin.
When I search on Anna Jülai, other records with different surname spellings display. I can’t say if they are records for her, so they may or may not be her surname. These variations include: Jöehle, Jsele, Jehle, Jhel, Jöhl. Are they the same surname?
To confuse this even more, I discovered a second marriage in Waldkirch for Anna Maria Sybold to a Joannes Jehl. That looks exactly like the spelling in the record, in old German script. But one of the witnesses has a surname spelled Jehli? It looks just as we would write the surname except for the last letter which has a descender. Walkirch is 60 miles from Weilheim.
I have attached copies of each of these records. Any help will be much appreciated. Thank you.
Elizabeth
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Hello Elizabeth,
we are dealing with several issues here. In those days, spelling was not yet as standardized as it is today. Names were often written by ear and may therefore vary. Also, the handwriting is often hard to read and can be interpreted differently. This can lead to variations in the indexed name.
Regarding your four examples I read
- Jälin or Jülin (certainly not Jülai) in the 1714 marriage record
- Üehlin in the 1721 baptism record
- Jehlin in the 1723 baptism record
- Jehlin in the 1772 marriage record (both the groom and the witness have -in at the end)
All these names sound quite similar when pronounced in German. The second one (Üehlin) is the most uncommon spelling.
The question is whether the ending -in is a feminine marker or belongs to the original name. In the 1714 record both the bride and the (male) witness have the name Jälin. Also in the 1772 marriage record both the groom and the witness are spelled Jehlin. From this I would conclude that the -in is part of the original name (and an additional -in is not added to this name for a woman).
I would suggest always consulting the original records and not relying on the index/transcription as there are often misreadings or misinterpretations. If you find different name spellings for the same person you should document them all as the concept of a "correct" spelling came much later, with the introduction of public registry offices in the 1870s.
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Thank you so much for this comprehensive answer. So very helpful.
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