Dennis..... No shame in being wrong. I think that is the most positive and powerful thing about sharing information is that we all learn from each other and help put together a more accurate picture of history for ourselves and others.

I run across misspellings of names, names that were changed for personal reasons, or "Americanization" of European names frequently. I have experienced them all.

My ancestor's family name was de Trois, from the three sons of Charlemange; later became de Traci after the Norman invasion of England; later became Traci dropping the "de"; then Tracey to Tracy; before WWII my father changed his name to Mann to join the army at the age of 16 and here I am.

I enjoyed your story about Kness/Ness and it has added to Kansas history.

Thanks,
Howard Mann