ALIAS-AKA Message Board - Links & Announcements

Welcome to the
Alias-aka Message Board!


Please use this message board to record information about your ancestors' names that have been changed, usually without legal documentation and to post queries about those name changes.

The board will also provide a registry for surname variations.

Anyone with an ancestor who used an ALIAS or was AKA is encouraged to post. Researchers with an interest in name changes are also invited to participate.

Name changes could be a result of immigration, or later "Americanizing" names, children assuming their step-parents name, and people hiding from the law, a spouse or other responsibilities. Occassionally someone just didn't like their name. Either a given name change or a surname change is eligible.

There are frequently stories (or tall tales) that go along with the name changes. Tell us about those too. Include all the SURNAMES, both before, after and suspected. But please, PLEASE do not violate the privacy of those who are still living.

And DO NOT post 20th Century Adoption Queries to this board. There are about 100 Adoption links available at Cyndi's List and at last count Ancestry/RootsWeb had over 25 Adoption Message Boards. Any post that appears to be a 20th century adoption query will be deleted or moved to the Adoption Boards without notice.

Message boards are the perfect forum for finding missing links, and for those of us who know of a family or individual who changed their name, this is the best place to record it.

Please--post what you know to help others, and post queries so others can help you.

For your convenience, messages posted to this board will be "gatewayed" (copied automagically) to the ALIAS-AKA-L mailing list to give you every possible opportunity to share information and to find the ancestors you seek.

After posting your ALIAS or AKA, you may want to to subscribe to the Alias-aka mailing list. You can also search the List Archives.

Other Links, Lists and Boards of Interest:

NOLO - Law for All - Name Changes FAQ

Listing Of Some 18th and 19th Century American Nicknames

U.S. GenWeb Common Nicknames

Name Changes at Ellis Island, Fact or Fiction by Dick Eastman

UK Name Changes

Tips for Dating Old Photos

Orphan Trains of America (Links)

The Orphan Train Movement

States:

Deleware, Massachusetts, Washington,

Message Boards:

Orphan Trains Message Board

First Name Quirks Message Board

Naturalizations Message Board

Migration Message Boards (there are several)

Crime Message Boards (old west, outlaws, prisoners, police, etc.)

Lists:

Bigamy-L

BritishHomeChildren-L

Folklore-L

ORPHAN-TRAINS Mail List Home page

Gen-Unsolved-Mysteries-L

Nicknames-L

Strays-L

SurnameOrigins-L

Please do NOT send queries to the Administrator -- post them to the Board or the List. DO notify the administrator of broken links, List subscription difficulties, or problems on the Message Board.

Contact Administrator at: