Keep a list of all the spelling, transcription, and other variant renderings of your ancestral names in one place. Sort them alphabetically. Keep the list handy. It can be easy to overlook the occasional variant, particularly when querying a database.
And if you think there are no variant spellings for a last name, think again. Lee has Leigh and Smith has Smythe.
One response
Lol.I found that out when I first started researching. Wetzel has 21 different variants. And having acquired that knowledge, I offered to help someone with their Typhair family in New York state. He said, “You won’t be able to find anything. No one has found anything past my grandfather.”
I did, and when I return with several generations of family info to him, he was astounded.
“They didn’t look under alternate spellings.” I told him. 😉