It's no surprise for genealogists, then, that a modern-day surname often is not spelled the same as one from, say, the 17th century. It's important to understand that few people could read or write, even if they did own large tracts of land in the new world of America, as did my ninth great-grandfather, Humphrey Perkins.
I haven't seen any original documents, but I have a transcription of a court order that spells Humphrey's name with an "e." (Old Rappahannock County, Va., Records. Order Book 1683-86, p. 85, 4 Dec. 1684).
After that, the name changed, at least for a few generations.
I have a transcription of Humphrey's son Henry's will that spells it "Purkins" (11 March 1735/6, Essex County, Va., Will Book 6, 1735-1743, p. 46). I also have copies of the wills of Henry Purkins Jr. (21 Sept. 1738, Essex County, Va., Will Book 6, 1735-1743, pp. 171-172), and Henry Purkins III (2 June 1780, Essex County, Va., Will Book 13, pp. 311-313), in which they spell their name "Purkins." My speculation is that they had a lawyer draw up their wills because they could not write, which was likely a common practice in those days. The "signature" on the bottom of the two wills is in the same handwriting as the rest of the will.
The next generation gets a bit confusing, however. The will of Henry Perkins IV (11 Jan. 1803, Halifax County, Va., Book 6, pp. 506-507) spells it "Perkins." On the same document, however, the witnesses include Henry Purkins and Gabriel Purkins - this is all in the same handwriting. Also, I have a Halifax County court document ("July Court 1800," Book 18, p. 392) that spells it "Henry Purkins," referring to the same "Perkins" in the will.
Henry
the Fourth's son, John, is also referred both ways in various documents.
A marriage certificate refers to John Purkins (10 October 1808, Halifax
County, Va., Circuit Court, Book 1, p. 69). (He signed his name an "X"
on the document; again, they couldn't write.)
On
the 1820 Virginia Census for Halifax County, it's hard to tell whether
it's an "e" or a "u," but it looks more like an "e." By the 1840s, however,
it was definitely an "e." Dade County, Mo., documents concerning the settlement
of his estate by his son, Samuel Henry Perkins, spell it with an "e." (Probate
Book Dade County, Mo., Book 1, pp. 141, 160, 188, 251). From there on out,
it's all "e."
The switch back to "e" was likely the same as the switch to "u." Perhaps the lawyer or court recorder who drew up the various documents knew someone else who spelled it with an "e" and assumed that was how my descendants spelled it. It reminds me of the tales of the Ellis Island immigrants, whose names were phoneticized because those taking down the information didn't bother to ask how they were spelled. (As a sports reporter covering high school athletics, I run into this problem every day. Just ask Sandi or Sandy, Conrad or Konrad, or even Cathy, Kathy, Cathie or Kathie - I've seen them all)