24 January 2013

Those Kiles on the Hill are Killing Me


It's not often you get "in-your-face" proof of alternate spellings, but this Bureau of Land Management Tract Book from Chillicothe's Military Lands (Volume 1-entry 6818) for James Kile indicates that he was also referred to as James Hill and James Kill. James made his initial purchase payment in 1818.

It's easy to see, given the handwriting of the time, how those alternate interpretations of the name might have happened.

And that gives me more alternate spellings to use in my searches. Kyle was one I always used, but I need to keep these in mind, especially during this time period of the early 19th century.