Explanation of Name Changes

MITCHELSON, MICHELSON, MITCHELLSON, MITCHEL, MITCHELL

• The first spelling of the family name we find is MITCHELSON - John Mitchelson, farmer, who married Mary Thurot in 1812.
• The Scottish Church Records show their first child Jacob as Jacob Michelson.
• Handwritten correspondence from Jacob's brother, George Locke, shows that George throughout his life continued to use the name Mitchelson.
• Jacob's sons George and Charles were married using the name Mitchellson (Charles' son and daughter were also christenened as "Mitchellson". On the other hand, both George and Charles used the name Mitchell when they signed their letters.
• Jacob's eldest son, John (who emigrated to New Zealand) always called himself Mitchell and all his children bore the surname Mitchell.
• Jacob's sister Agnes used the surname Mitchel when she married Hugh Girvan.
• From references in varous documents, it is evident that Jacob was known throughout his lifetime by both the Mitchell and Mitchelson surname.
• By the end of the 19th century, all of Jacob Mitchell's descendants had discontinued use of the name Mitchelson in favour of Mitchell.
• Whether George Locke Mitchelson had any descendants who may have carried on the Mitchelson surname is not known at the present time.

THUROT, THORAT, THORRAT, THURRIT, THURRAT, THURROTT

• Scottish Church Records and the International Genealogical Index initially show the surname THUROT, which may well be a French name.
• The Thurot family (of Kirkbean) were known locally as Thorat.
• Children of John and Agnes Thorat used various spellings of the name - Thurrit, Thurrat, Thorrat.
• Descendants of James Thurot (who may well be a son of the aforesaid John Thurot by an earlier marriage) now use the spelling THURROTT.
• "Thorrat" is the spelling in use today by many descendants of John Thorat and Agnes Locke..

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Last Update: 1999-01-05