Spelling Changes
From My Research Wiki
Spelling variations are a common challenge for all researchers, not just family historians. Some spelling changes can be attributed to illiteracy, common spelling mistakes or even intentional changes. Many changes, however, probably happened due to regional and ethnic dialects; that is, how a particular person pronounced his or her name.
Most studies agree that when learning another language or moving to a new location, your chances of totally eliminating your native accent or regional dialect are very minimal after about age 12. source: ClearSpeak.net
Example
Menges is a German name. The first generation generally moved into an area with other Germans so the spelling from the old country to the new was more likely to survive. In our example, Conrad Menges (c1730-1797) moved to Easton, Pennsylvania with its mostly Germans ("Pennsylvania Dutch") population. His accent would have fit right in. Those that moved into areas with a large English, Scots or other ethnic group might have seen an immediate spelling change to match what the writer heard the person say.
In this particular example, Conrad Menges (c1777-1863) moved out of the Easton area into central New York. This area (Tompkins County) was expanding rapidly with people from many different parts of New England, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. So the 1820 U.S. Census shows Conrad Mingus. Conrad later moved his family to Independence, Allegany County, New York where the name changes again with Mingus, Minges, Mingous, and other spellings beginning to appear. Conrad finally moved his family to Bradford County, Pennsylvania and the spelling changed again to Mingos.
While some of these changes can be attributed to regional dialects and accents it is also important to realize that these moves had an impact upon how Conrad and his family spoke. A person's accent is generally set by age 12 but we also adapt to our surroundings to fit in. So some of these changes could be related to the children growing up in new surroundings.
