Spelling -Gereau, Gero, Girioux, Gereaux
Some years ago I had a friend who traced her family tree back to about 1820 or 1830.She hit a dead end about that date.It was a fellow who came from southern Ontario, Canada, to Michigan.He was apparently partly French and partly Indian.I think he didn't know how to spell - probably couldn't read or write.So whoever wrote down his name spelled it the way it sounded.Gero. Girou. Giroux. Gerou.
I once saw an old document about someone from my family. Halford.But in the same document, another place, it was spelled Holford.Then I saw another "exact duplicate" of that document. It was Alford.
I was once told that a big shot from England, a long time ago, wrote that he was a Dook.
Spelling is a problem.