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Stewart or Stuart ?

Dungannon (Tyrone)

I have been trying to find my ancestors in Ireland. A genealogist uncovered some records that he thinks are likely to be my ancestors but there are a few problems with the records and I am wondering whether there might be some advice that might help me sort it out.

I have been looking for my great-grandfather's family. His father's name was also James Stewart, and his mother was Anne O'Neil. His brother was William Stewart who was born in 1841. James immigrated to Canada in about 1863 and his mother and Anne immigrated in about 1866.

I have a marriage registration for James Stuart and Anne O'Neil dated 1840, a baptismal record for William Stuart, their son, dated 1841 and another baptismal record for their second son James dated 1845.

There are two problems with these records: the use of "Stuart" rather than "Stewart" for all of the records, and the birth year of 1845 for James when our records indicate that his birth year was 1849.

All of these records come from the catholic registry in Dungannon, Tyrone around Stewartstown.

My questions are as follows: 1. What importance should I ascribe to the use of "Stuart" rather than "Stewart" with these records? 2. Might there be any additional records for this family that might clarify the link to "Stewart"?

Thanks for any advice that might be forthcoming.

Graham Stewart

Graham

5 replies

Graham,

I too have Stewart ancestors from Tyrone, and I have found the same family recorded as Stewart, Steward, Stuart, Steuart, etc. Spelling of names in old records is quite inconsistent.

As for the date discrepancy, dates are also inconsistent in old records. People didn't celebrate birthdays in Ireland at the time. Many people weren't aware of exactly when they were born. No one was asking to see a license, SS card, passport, etc., like they do today. I'd accept the 1845 vs. 1849 records as being for the same James.

Good luck.

glanvil3@aol.com

Hi Patricia:

Thanks so much for this very helpful response. Perhaps I can relax a bit and accept what I have found.

Thanks again.

Graham

Graham

You're very welcome!

glanvil3@aol.com

The idea of a single or correct spelling for a surname or a place name in Ireland is very much a recent phenomenon designed to meet the needs of modern officialdom. Before that there was no consistency. Names were spelled phonetically and each variation was down to the whim of the particular person recording the information. You will often see the spelling change as the records go back. This rarely indicates a deliberate decision to alter the name, nor even a mistake. Not everyone was literate, but even when they were, exact and consistent spelling simply wasn’t something they bothered about. In addition to varying the actual spelling, O’ or Mac prefixes were optional and were often omitted. 

In 1899, the Rev Smith reviewed the early records of Antrim 1st Presbyterian church (covering the years 1674 to c 1736). He noted: “Even the same word is not always spelled alike by the same hand. Indeed spelling with most of the recording officials (and they must have been fairly numerous) was a matter of the most sublime indifference. The name William, for instance, is spelled 3 different ways in as many lines; while Donegore, a neighbouring parish, is spelled 10 different ways; but these extend over a good number of years. Many families names are spelled phonetically, while others are given in the most round-about fashion.”

So expect spelling to vary. That was the norm.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

Elwyn:

Thanks so much, this is very helpful and I appreciate the reference.

Take care,

Graham

Graham

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