The spelling of names in the past is always a challenge, especially with varying degrees of literacy and the near-absence of widespread communication that could help form standards as with Maria, João, José, Manuel, António, and so on. So many other names have variant spellings because of the use of spelling as something sounded, based on the local pronunciation.
Here on Pico, the "standard" spelling is Laureano. Many years ago, a well-known resident in Terra Alta, Santo Amaro had a near-mythic place in the minds of residents. His "fame" caught the attention of Vitorino Nemesio, who included a mention of Laureano in *Mau Tempo do Canal.* |A copy of the page from the book was made into an azulejo decoration for the ferry terminal in Horta (and it was moved from the old terminal to the new building). I was delighted to see the azulejo and a written spelling of the name because I now live on the property of Laureano's home as an adult, when he gained his "fame." The house was a ruin that posed danger so we rebuilt it to last another few hundred years. In the clearing, we found a few "artifacts" in the ruin, including the ink bottle he used with his writing to judges in São Roque, who valued his opinions based on his voluminous reading. We restored the ruin to its original appearance and named it "Casa do Laueano," much to the delight of several older residents, one of whom had tears in her eyes when she first saw the restored building. Tomás Leal -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/azores.
