The surname of one famous and (from a Wikitree perspective) impactful Nouvelle-France pioneer has been regularly standardized by genealogists as "Paul Hus": Paul Hus.
Of the original generations, however, in many cases it is not clear that their surname was actually spelled "Hus" - and in many cases it was not. The question is what to do with these in view of the following facts and Wikitree guidelines as I understand them.
Background facts based on original records:
For Nouvelle-France pioneer Paul, there appears to be no French baptismal record available. Fichier Origine instead relies on a French record ascribed to his brother Léonard Batpême Léonard Hu(s). That record shows letters following Hu_ - but they do not clearly match the scribe's writing of a terminal 's' (shown in the very next word fils) – and rather resemble a terminal 't' (shown just below in the word et). So the name as reflected on his brother's 1631 baptism may more likely be Huet or Hut rather than Hus (and the record is not actually Paul's).
The earliest available record for Paul himself appears to be the census of 1666, soon after his arrival in Nouvelle-France, in which he is recorded in the household of a prominent official and his employer, who was Robert Griffart escuyer, the Seigneur de Beauport. That record – both in the original and as transcribed – clearly refer to Paul as ''Paul Hue''. He is also recorded as Paul Hue in the subsequent census of 1681 along with his family members – although his surname at the time was written with a form of accent above the e (as something like Hué or Huė).
His 1669 marriage record has never been located. A contract by the notary Cusson on 19 June of 1669 appears to be the first instance of his name being transcribed as ''Hus'' (by the notary since Paul could not sign).
As accents were increasingly being introduced in France and the colonies, contemporaneous records for Paul and his children reflect these – and again many if not most of the earlier records do not show the surname as Hus (as later standardized) - but rather as variants of Hu(e) such as Hü, Huë or Hû.
Being descended from three of Paul's children, I'm now involved in and hoping to improve a number of related profiles. Paul's first son Louis (Louis Hus) is one example. While his birth record has never been located, the most contemporaneous record (his marriage) clearly refers to him as "Louis Hü fils de Paul Hü." Similarly, Louis' older children for whom original birth records are available, were often baptized as the child of Louis Hü (or for some later ones Louis Hu) - whereas their Wikitree profiles still reflect various standardized names (e.g. Joseph Joseph (Hus) Hus-Paulet who was actually baptized as Joseph Hü).
As I understand the Wikitree guidelines, the last name at birth (LNAB) for such profiles should be changed to match existing original records (at or nearly following birth), with a few applicable exceptions that don't seem to be relevant in this case.
If I'm interpreting any of the guidelines incorrectly, or if anyone objects for other reasons, then please let me know. Alternatively if you agree that changes should be applied as noted, then please also weigh in - since I and fellow managers might benefit from the encouragement..! Many thanks!
