I record every name exactly as it was written on the document. Sometimes though I struggle with what name to “use” for an ancestor when they had more than one name.<\/p>\n
I try and use what they used for the majority of their life. My great-grandmother I have listed as Fannie Rampley. Her name on her birth certificate was Frances. But from her marriage on, every record lists her as Fannie. She signs “Fannie Neill” or “Fannie I. Neill” (Iona was her middle name) on legal documents. She (or likely her children) had Fannie put on her tombstone. I transcribe the records using whatever name they say.<\/p>\n
But I have her listed as Fannie in my database as it really appears that’s what she preferred.<\/p>\n