[Facts] Abishull
Just came across a census that is possibly my gggrandmother. I know in 3 of the Federal Census her name is Abigail or Abby for short.
The 1850 Census shows her name and her mothers name as "ABISHULL."
I have never heard this name before so may be a mistake in census.
Has anyone ever heard this name before?
Any help appreciated.
The 1850 Census shows her name and her mothers name as "ABISHULL."
I have never heard this name before so may be a mistake in census.
Has anyone ever heard this name before?
Any help appreciated.
Replies
Have you looked at the original census record yourself or did you just find this in the index?
I have found that a lot of indexers have not carefully tried to decipher bad handwriting and often make mistakes in recording what the name really is. So check the original record yourself to make sure it looks like Abishull to you; make sure to examine other names on the same page to get a feel for what that particular census taker's handwriting was like before you make a final decision on what you think he meant to write.
Abishag is a separate Old Testament name from Abigail, but Abishull is probably an error at some level for either Abigail or Abishag.
I have found that a lot of indexers have not carefully tried to decipher bad handwriting and often make mistakes in recording what the name really is. So check the original record yourself to make sure it looks like Abishull to you; make sure to examine other names on the same page to get a feel for what that particular census taker's handwriting was like before you make a final decision on what you think he meant to write.
Abishag is a separate Old Testament name from Abigail, but Abishull is probably an error at some level for either Abigail or Abishag.