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Re: Accuracy of birth records



Art Dostie wrote:

> The French immigration into Maine of the late
> 19th century (of which my own ancestors were a part) led to many of the
> "Quebecois" who worked in the mills to assume English translations of their
> names.  You get used to it after a while, but our records technician (who has
> not had mold grow on him from his tenure here yet, as has happened to us
> long-timers, is frequently coming to me and saying, "I can't find this birth
> record for a man named Fisher."  "Try Poisonnier".  "Boisvert?"  "Try
> Grrenwood".  "Freeman?"  "Try Laliberte."  "Cyr" may be under "Crock" and
> "Pelkey" may be under "Pelletier".

I learned of this phenomenon many years ago when I was an undergrad at
Bowdoin. Most of the translations were straightforward, like "Levesque"
becoming "Bishop," but some were quite inventive. My favorite was
"Beauchemin" becoming "Macadam."

Cheers!

Eric

--

Eric v. d. Luft, Ph.D., M.L.S.
Curator of Historical Collections, Health Sciences Library
SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, NY 13210
<http://www.hscsyr.edu/~lufte/index.html> -- 315-464-4585
Listowner: ALHHS-L <http://www.hscsyr.edu/~lufte/alhhs-l.html>
For e-mail pertaining to libraries, librarianship, or the history of
    medicine, please use: lufte@hscsyr.edu
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                              *****

"Be always sure you're right, then go ahead."
                                          -- Davy Crockett
                                [Autobiography, 1834, title page]

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