www.Leazott.com

Lesson 005...                                                                                                     2016 02 01
What's In A Name-Who Are You?                                                              Published Monthly

Putting aside our differences...
Though we all come from the same seed, we have somehow evolved into many variations.
The obvious difference is the spelling, but there are also many pronunciation and accent variables.

Many other factors have influence as well, like language accent, speech, specific area and more...
Long ago, these led to multiple variations of our family name in many different geographical areas.
Now, because of instant communication and the 3R's education, changes have slowed dramatically.

Until about 50 years ago, writing was still considered a skill, and actually asked about on censuses.
Several hundred years ago, "skilled scribesman" recorded many names phonetically-and often varied.
Our surname suffered more than others because of factors like scribes, language and speech accents.

In everyday spoken life, it doesn't affect much, but in written recorded life, it matters greatly.
Certificates, deeds and documents or even diary's and letters have an exacting nature about them.
The written word connects the visual state to the mental state which automatically seperates things.


Picture this...
Think about the color blue, and then the color teal. The words connect in a momentary brain flash.
Both are merely descriptive terms of a similar surface in the same category of color in a spectrum.

But when we add the word "crayon" to it, a picture begins to form in our mind.
..."Blue Crayon"....and then "Teal Crayon". Two different images, and possibly different feelings.

Somehow, the same principle takes effect when we read the words "Leazott" and "Lizotte".
We almost instinctively feel they are two different family names. Perhaps correctly in one sense.
Yet as we delve further into our recorded history, we find that this initial feeling is not entirely true.
In following official censuses and other known records, we see that they were once the same family.


Natural causes...
Some of the lesser known reasons for these changes were things like...
Syllable's...The more syllables in a name, the more likely it is to run amuck.
Peoples brains tend to break things down into managable segments, like syllables.

We can only speculate at this time about origins the first syllable of our name.
Being of french origin, the first syllable expierienced many alternates (La, Le, L'/Li).
Of our many variations, having two syllables is one of two constants always found: Note.

In speech of course a french speaking person would be able to discern the audible differences.
But when spoken in english, and with an accent-whether heavy or light-it becomes very different.
The person now charged with recording data has to make their best guess as to the correct spelling.

It's not easy to follow ones family tree as we head deeper into "The New Millennium".
The computerized age that we obviously follow, teaches people to be very exact in nature.
While seemingly a better system for the future, it tends to somewhat sever us from our past.


Then and Now...
Present day people take education mostly for granted, but it wasn't always like that for everyone.
A simple task of spelling your name was a goal recognized as a minimum needed lesson long ago.
Usually this was taught by someone who cared....Not necessarily by someone who "knew".
Sometimes it stuck, sometimes it didn't.

As it's said, "Long ago and far away," honesty was more prevalent than it is today.
There was no need for "two forms of I.D.". Your word and name truely WAS your bond.
Without your word, you would never deal again-So people guarded their reputations accordingly.

Fast forward to today where it is nearly impossible to deal strictly within your own town...
There begins to be seen a need for more secure and exact matching identification methods.
Looking at the global picture in relation to online financing vs thieves, and the need is undenyable.


Keep the change...
Taxes, banking, business and social security put an end to most name changes-on a global scale.
To be sure, there were other factors, but most came under these headings and were directives of.

Taxes are paid the entire world over to the kings, and the kings want to make sure everyone pays.
So of course it makes sense to compartmentalise everyone and everything as much as possible.
Methods in both manor and reason differ, but the tracking is what's key. Who pays what?

Banking, whether big or small, is extremely exacting in nature-Hence the nickname for accountants.
Each account belongs to an exact name, and that name being important whether banker or popper.
In days of old, names were sufficient. In modern times, an account number is the actual item used.

Business, especially since the industrial revolution, has become very much about record keeping.
Whether for purchasing, sales, labor costs, taxes, insurances, and a host of other ins & outs.
These again have to have a name for both billing and payments to go to or come from.

Social Security Numbers surpassed every other known form of exact match to persons before it.
To succeed, it must completely individualize each and every participant from one another forever.
In order to get maximum participation, the "carrot" used was money. Name & number were joined.
For genealogy purposes, it's very much a widely acceptable as an accurate resource for most cases.


Completing the circle...
The simple act of making a person or business sign for acceptance of funds is what completes it.
Intentional or not, it has had the single greatest impact in halting any further family name changes.

People want their money... Or a purchase with their credit card... So they're willing to sign for it.
Today we couldn't imagine spelling our names differently at various times or places in our lives.
It's a simple thing really, provide a signature like the one on file, and you can buy anything.

So wherever people were in respect to surname spelling choices, are how they stayed.
Add to that a generation or two, and forgotten family ties become lost forever.

Quietly, without thought, we became different. Seperate.
It happens because a knowledge is so plain to one generation,
They then falsely believe the next generation also knows it as well.
In this case, it was assumed we all knew we were one big happy family.


The Point Is...
First, have an open mind, and do not consider persons who came before you as dumb or illiterate.
They simply had other priorities-Like farming for their food to eat, home building, and making clothes.
Accomplishments that many today cannot master, and so would be deemed by ancestors as "dumb".

Second, understand as you search, that all these variations of surnames are still your family.
They are every bit as important in the making of who you are, as the family that you see weekly.
No paperwork in the world can ever hope to overide the blood and DNA that they've passed onto you.

Third, know that seemingly small changes helped cause a permanent split between family spellings.
Because of public advancements in spelling skills and filing systems, future changes ceased to occur.
When the head of a family decided on a particular spelling, he unknowingly chose for all generations.

So, who are you?
You are the lineage of those who came before you, awaiting discovery by those who come after you.
The living embodyment of people who cared.


As always...
These are only basic guidelines, and can always be adjusted to suit your personal needs or budget.
Hopefully the knowledge gained here will help you to be better positioned as a family historian!

      Happy searches!!

        Massachusetts

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