Life History

Other facts

Notes

• From Averett Family Genealogy Forum posting by John Averitt, May 9,2008:
  
  Today I spoke with a very nice archivist in Tennessee who pronouncedthe name "Averitt" as though it were spelled "Everett". If I weretaking dictation from her, I would have assumed that she meant"Everett" when she said the name. But I knew that she was in factreading the name, spelled with an "A".
  
  Some of my Averitt ancestors lived in that very county nearly twohundred years ago. If their accent was anything like hers is today,any official recording the name of any of my ancestors would have beenjustified in spelling it with an "E".
  
  Also, I have learned that when I am telling someone my name, I have tobe very careful to pronounce the "TT" at the end, or they will thinkthat my name is Avery. My grandfather was known to his wholeneighborhood as "Mr. Avery".
  
  The point I am trying to make is that sometimes when a name appears as"Everett" or "Avery" or any number of variations of those or of"Averitt", it doesn't necessarily mean that your ancestor changed thename (though such things have happened). It is most often the resultof the recorder writing down what he thinks he hears (or what he doesin fact hear, as interpreted in the local accent). And many of ourancestors were unable to read or write, so they couldn't have a lookand say, "Oh, no, not like that."

Sources

• 1. Public Member Trees
  • Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date:2006;
  • Database online.