What One Letter Change In A Surname Does

On November 2, 2009, I finally came across my mother's father's parents on the 1900 census records on ancestry.com. I had a feeling that their names where misspelled on the index. And so, that was the case.

I started out to search for my ancestors, page by page on the 1900 census. It took a while. I had an idea where they could have lived.  Their home address was 2413 Edmond Street, St. Joseph, Missouri.

There was a city directory. I checked the 1889-1899 book. Lo and behold my Great Grandpa Robert L. Lankford was listed. So, I began my search.

I later found out that their surnames was indexed with an S. It was an L. There is a big different in that one little letter. It didn't help out in my search. Only if the person in charge of the handwriting interruption could have seem that L.

But it does look like an S. Or maybe the census taker heard the S word when the family surname were pronounced. And as through this discovery, it lead to another mystery.

While On The Journey
What One Letter Change In A Surname Does

Sankford and Lankford...there is a different.
It's good to know things can be found.
But it may take some time in finding out.

Blessings,
Susan

P.S
On that 1900 census all the L's were S's by that census taker.
Here is an example of Letters of the 17th Center Found in Parish Registers

Here was what was written for the Lankford household in 1900

Members: Name         Age

R S Sankford           48

Charlottie Sankford    47

Freddie Sankford       22

Addie S Sankford    19

Sea Sankford           16

Annie A Sankford      14

Charlie Sankford        10

Mymadula Sankford    4

Isabell Sankford          1

Vernon Johnson         21