K Brubaker writes: "However, some of my ancestors used "D" as the "first initial," and since they ALL spelled it different ways, I use one "Master" spelling in my database and then put how they spelled it in the alternate name section. That way it makes searching through my database easier - if I share the database, I let the recipient know that the "alternate name" is how the person spelled their name." While I can understand why she does this I am not sure it is the best approach. While it does make life easier I don't think it is historically accurate. I attempt to my research in the terms of the person I am representing. My name Habermaas has gone thru many transformations Habermas, Habermass, Habermaass, Habermoeser, Heffermoesser. And one instance as v. Habermas but I always put them under that persons spelling. I also do this with place names (eq My GGgrandfather is born in what he called Koenigsberg. I put it that way in database in East Prussia, in German of course, and but in alternate the present location Kalingrad, Russian Federation). This is done this way because that is how one have to look in records for this information.
