Name Variations - Elizabeth Mantach / Montieth (1770-1856)
Elizabeth Mantach / Montieth illustrates another pitfall of Family History, that of irregular spelling of names. If a couple were illiterate, then their names would appear as the person recording them thought they ought to be spelled.
She was born in 1770 as Elizabeth Mantoch.
Elizabeth, lawful daughter to James Mantoch in that part of the New-land called Curshallach was Baptised. Witnesses Elizabeth Simson in the Black-burn and George Bremner there.
She married in 1794, with both first and surnames spelled slightly differently, Elisabeth Mantach:
18th August 1794 James Baynies, Blacksmith in Orton, and Elisabeth Mantach in the Greens were married.
James and Elizabeth had at least six children, James, George, Isobel, William, Alexander and Joseph. I strongly suspect that they had at least more children. I suspect this because
a) there is quite a big age gap between James and George,
b) generally the eldest daughter was named after the maternal grandmother, but they don’t appear to have had a “Jane”,
c) the 1851 census includes a “granddaughter” Barbara Gracy. Barbara Gracie m Alexander Wood. On her death certificate in 1913 her mother named was named as Annie Benzies.
James and Elizabeth moved from Orton to Deskford, Banffshire. James’ surname thereafter was consistently spelled Benzies, but Elizabeth varied between Elisabeth Monteath in 1810 (William’s baptism) and Elisabeth Montieth in 1815 (twins Alexander and Joseph’s baptisms).
She was listed as Elizabeth Montieth in the 1841 and 1851 census.
However, when she died, her parents were given, correctly, as James Mantach and Jane Mantach, M.S. Simpson.
This illustrates the need to keep am open mind about the spelling of names; Elizabeth / Elisabeth may be unsurprising, but Mantoch / Mantach/ Monteath/ Montieth is less expected. Had Elizabeth not lived to the age of 85, dying after the introduction of statutory registration of births, marriages and deaths, it might have been impossible to trace her parents.