[Genealib] 4-H Pedigree Chart Query

[Sellers, Charlotte]

Greetings,
 
A 4-H'er has inquired which version of her grandma's surname to enter on a pedigree chart for her project. The spelling of the surname changed "a short time" after the grandmother's birth was recorded officially. The researcher does not know exactly when the change occurred but all subsequent documents use the "other" spelling. It occurs to me a clerical error could have occured in the recording. She has not researched earlier generations in that family.
 
Inquiries to confirm my thoughts brought two different answers from 4-H genealogy judges on how to make the entry. One said to use the birth certificate spelling. Another said to use the more-often-used spelling. Both assured me footnotes to explain the situation are not used on 4-H genealogy charts and seemed not to be aware that Elizabeth Shown Mills in Evidence! indeed shows how to use footnotes to document charts.
 
Changes (intended and otherwise) in surnames are not uncommon, so maybe I'm just having one of those days when I should not be allowed to look for answers ... because I've not found an exact written answer to this question in my genealogy references, despite all kinds of advice to check for surname variations. Please share by reply directly to me your wisdom about any written reference to document the choice the 4-H'er makes.
 
Thanks already!
 
Charlotte Sellers csellers at myjclibrary.org
Local History Specialist
Jackson County Public Library
Seymour IN
<mailto:genealib at mailman.acomp.usf.edu> 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.acomp.usf.edu/pipermail/genealib/attachments/20080612/0ccbc0a3/attachment.html