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Scottish dialect advice?

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ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

Grace

Grace Report 10 Apr 2006 12:38

Being from North East Scotland I would say it would be a sound bet to look for Shearer. Its quite a common name in this area. Good luck

Georgina

Georgina Report 10 Apr 2006 11:34

Paul this is the only one showing born in Orkney on the IGI... JOHN SHERRER Male Event(s): Birth: Christening: 21 JUL 1792 Shapinsay, Orkney, Scotland Parents: Father: THOMAS SHERRER Mother: MARGT. SKEA Georgina.

Paul

Paul Report 10 Apr 2006 10:57

This site never ceases to amaze me...just pop up the corner shop, come back and there are 4 replies already!! Yes, as Kate suggested the baptism records I referred to are ones for children of John. Georgina, the only details I have are John Sherrars, born c1792 (date worked out from census ages). Place of birth Orkney. Thanks for the advice

Heather

Heather Report 10 Apr 2006 10:32

Hi Paul Looking at the names beginning Sh for Orkey on the 1881 census discs, there are lots of Shearers and also just a handful of Shurie/Shurrie. Heather

Kate

Kate Report 10 Apr 2006 10:26

FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org) automatically searches for names that sound like the one you put in, and many other websites have the option to do something similar - often 'Soundex' but there are other ones. I think Scotland's People has a couple of options that you can choose from. It might be worth trying the surname on FamilySearch first, if only to see what variations it suggests. If you put up the details you have, we might be able to come up with more specific suggestions. (Nell - could it be that the baptism records Paul is talking about are baptism records of the problem ancestor's children rather than the ancestor himself?) Kate.

Georgina

Georgina Report 10 Apr 2006 10:25

Paul can you give us his full name & birth year, maybe we can help. Georgina.

Unknown

Unknown Report 10 Apr 2006 10:25

Paul I cannae help y' wi' y' dialect, but I would say that any version of Shears/Sherrars/ etc would be worth investigating. It's not just how it was pronounced its how whoever recorded it could spell and how the handwriting was later interpreted. I think you can assume it was written 'She-' something and at least Orkney is a bit narrower than just Scotland. As you already have his baptism, marriage and census records, where else were you hoping to look? nell

Paul

Paul Report 10 Apr 2006 10:20

Am hoping somebody may be able to give me some advice or pointers...my ggg grandfather was a fisherman from Orkney who settled in Kent. His name is given on marriage record as Sherrars, and throughout baptism and census records it is spelt variously as Shearess, Sheares, Sheress etc. I am assuming that the way he pronounced his name had a bearing on the way it was written down when he married (he couldn't write). This makes me feel that it would be pointless seaching for 'Sherrars' in any records in Scotland because that wasn't actually his family name. It may have been the way, for example, he pronounced 'Shearer'. Any advice, as this is a major wall for me!! I don't have any other info other than his name, and his estimated dob from census ages