How do you spell that again?

Most of us on safari for ancestors hope we will find the exact spellings. Clean, pure, and simple. There are other elements to consider being certain the find is a trophy.

Recently I was looking at the birth certificates listed at the Minnesota Historical Society. New years had been added and I thought it might be worth a look. This index currently covers the years 1900-1934.



1930-1934 have recently been added. Additional special sets of pre-1935 birth certificates (e.g. delayed filings) will be added when images become available. One can access the 1935 to 2002 at Ancestry.com.



I thought for the fun of it, I would check just the children of Henry T and Julia Rye’s children. This is what I found:

Oliver, is listed as Oliver Norman, isn't his middle name Neuman?


Hilda , is listed as Hilda, no middle name


Alice, is listed as Alice Alvilda, is that a real middle name?


Ella, listed as Ella Eloine, I thought her middle name was Elvina


Nora, is listed as Nora May


Murvin is listed as Marvin George


Clifford, is listed as Clifford Tornold


Ilene, is listed as Illene Dorthy


Ralph was born in North Dakota, therefore, NOT listed in at the MNHS site



Let's take a look at the Anderson children from the Ancestry.com site:



Dorothy Elaine Anderson
Birth Date:
22 Sep 1938
Birth County:
Pennington
Father:
Lloyd Paul Anderson
Mother:
Ella Ellvina Rye
File Number:
1938-MN-038567



Richard Jerome Anderson
Birth Date:
5 Jun 1940
Birth County:
Pennington
Father:
Lloyd Anderson
Mother:
Ella Rye
File Number:
1940-MN-021690 Happy Birthday, Dick!



Robert Duane Anderson
Birth Date:
19 Aug 1941
Birth County:
Pennington
Father:
Lloyd Anderson
Mother:
Ella Rye
File Number:
1941-MN-049699



Judy Lee Anderson
Birth Date:
7 Aug 1944
Birth County:
Pennington
Father:
Lloyd Paul Anderson
Mother:
Ella Rye
File Number:
1944-MN-034018





Shirley Mae Anderson
Birth Date:
25 Dec 1951
Birth County:
Pennington
Father:
Lloyd Paul Anderson
Mother:
Ella Elvina Rye
File Number:
1951-MN-074137



They all appear to be correct!



When searching my own name, I found the following:

Elodie Mae Ranum
Birth Date:
5 Aug 1944
Birth County:
Pennington
Father:
Stanley Ranum
Mother:
Ella Lundberg
File Number:
1944-MN-034013



The reason for the variation in the spelling of my first name is simple. When Dr. Starkow filled out the paper work, he spelled in E L O D I E. I hadn't seen my birth certificate before 1998 when I needed it for proof of who I was. Imagine my surprise to learn of the spelling. Mother told me the story. If I keyboard ELODEE, and ask for an exact match, I do not get a birth certificate. It only comes up as a marriage listing and in the birth index for Rachel:




Rachel Zoe Anderson
Birth Date:
1 Oct 1966
Birth County:
Pennington
Father:
Robert Duane Anderson
Mother:
Elodee Mae Ranum
File Number:
1966-MN-050448

Here is yours Susi!


Susan Marie Anderson
Birth Date:
16 Jun 1962
Birth County:
Hennepin
Father:
Richard Jerome Anderson
Mother:
Jeanne Elizabeth Reiter
File Number:
1962-MN-063144

Signing off,

1944-MN-034013