Tag Archives: spelling

Henry Kingery: The Spelling Lesson (52 Ancestors #39)

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I have to admit that I just know the basics about Henry Kingery, my 3rd-great-grandfather. He was born in Virginia in 1806. (Some people list his birth as being in Franklin County, Virginia, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint the family there yet.) He married Nancy Dillon in 1832 in Lawrence County, Ohio. After their marriage, Henry and Nancy lived in Windsor Township until Henry’s death in 1872.

Henry Kingry and Nancy Dillon marriage record, Lawrence County, Ohio, downloaded from FamilySearch.org.

Henry Kingry and Nancy Dillon marriage record, Lawrence County, Ohio, downloaded from FamilySearch.org.

Pretty basic stuff.

Yet researching Henry and his family has taught me a lot about being flexible with spelling. Here are just some of the ways I’ve seen his surname spelled:

  • Kingery – 1840 census, 1860 census (population and agriculture), 1870 census
  • Kingry – his marriage record and tombstone
  • Kingers – 1850 census
  • Kingra – on his daughter Mary’s tombstone
  • Kingrey – on some of his children’s census records

“Kingers” on the 1850 census was just bad handwriting, in my opinion. The surprising one to me is Kingra. If you weren’t familiar with the family, you might see the name and sound it out with a short “a” (King-ruh). But knowing the family, you can “hear” how it would actually be pronounced with a long “a.”

Long story short: Don’t get hung up on spelling.