Anyone come across a whole family that change their Surname

[jinks]

I have been doing some research into my Step Fathers family (Irish Roots) and knew of the surname Levison so wasn't to surprised to find the marriage in 1906 James  Atherton to an Ann Levison in Blackburn, Lancashire then I started to hit problems.

Ann was born Ormskirk circa 1872 but couldn't really find any good matches especially since I had found a Ann Levison in the 1901 living in Blackburn, born Ormskirk with a sister Sarah and niece Mary E Levison.

Mary E Levison is found in a later census with the Atherton family so that seemed a certainty that she was some sort of relative.

So at this point I knew that Ann had a sister called Sarah and niece called Mary, I found Mary E Levison listed in 1891 (in Ormskirk) shown as Grandchild to Mary Levison also on the census were two more siblings for Ann namely Michael and Catherine.

Michael and Catherine both later move to Blackburn

But I could no trace of a Mary Levison with children Catherine, Sarah, Ann and Michael also couldn't find any Births - with the same maiden name / year of birth

Then I played a wild card and got a hit on Lehane / Lehan / Leighan and other variations also more children were added Bridget and Mary.

I have took into account the strong Irish Accent and I really can't see that it is a mistransciption but a deliberate change of surname

N.B. Michael also uses Benedict for Military Service and Benedict is quoted as a middle name on his marriage!

[KGarrad]

Looks more to me like a spelling variation?
Or an Anglicisation of the surname? To appear less "Irish"?

[hallmark]

Don't forget to use Livingstone too!

[Greensleeves]

If people could neither read nor write they were reliant on others to spell their names correctly (or incorrectly as is more often the case).  This, I suspect, is the reason why my Sidgwick family from County Durham appear in various documents as Shedwick, Cedric, Siggsworth and Sedgwick.  The latter stuck, and the family name since the 1901 census has been Sedgwick.

Another example in the same family is that one Walter Sidgwick from the Durham area appears in a census with his entire family (wife and several children) living in Stoke-on-Trent with them all using the surname Rainbow.  Still haven't worked out what that was all about!

[heywood]

Don't forget to use Livingstone too!

Lancashire BMD shows births

Livingston mmn Cannon
1863 Thomas
1865 Peter

Levingstone mmn Cannon
1867 Peter

Livingstone mmn Cannon
1869 Mary
1871 Michael
1873 Ann
1876 John

Levison mmn Cannon
1879 James

[heywood]

I am not sure if these are your family.

The above children have parents Michael and Catherine and you mention those names but I am not sure if you mean the parents. You have a grandma Mary.

I am now thinking these are not yours so will check a bit more.

[heywood]

Yes, they do look very likely but I can’t see Sarah in the births or in 1881 with the family.

1891 3404/77

Sarah Levison 16yrs b Ormskirk is a servant in Blackburn.

There is
Sarah Lehan mmn Haren 1874 and
Michael Lehan mmn Haren

[BenRalph]

My family changed their name from Raine (their father) to Kirby (their mother's previous husband who died way before any of the children were conceived) in the 1860s.

[Mike in Cumbria]

I knew a whole family of Longbottoms, including cousins, uncles, everyone, who all changed their name to Long at the same time. Every one of them had suffered teasing at school, and the usual nicknames so when a young baby was due in the family, they all decided that he/she wasn't going to suffer in the same way.