Genealogy Chat

Well not so strange as some I've seen on here but strange all the same. Annie PORTER Hayman b Dec qtr 1878 Bedminster Somerset (haven't got round to getting the cert yet!). She's also Annie Porter Hayman on her marriage cert and on her son's birth cert. On 1881 shes there with her mother, sister and a couple of visitors, one of whom is an Albertina Porter. Have no idea of the connection, but there must be one. L

The usual reason for these surnames given as middle names is that they were the maiden names of the mother or grandmother etc - and occasionally the surname of a godparent or some other significant family friend.

Quite often, the second name was the mother's maiden name, especially if the child was born, or conceived, prior to the marriage. My not-so-dear departed stepmother had the second name Evans..........tribute to a friend of her parents. She had promised a legacy if her name was given to the child. It didn't materialise!!!!! Reg

I didn't realize this was uncommon as both mine and my husband's have this. My Scots all have mother's maiden name as second name. But my Devon lot have mother's, mother's maiden name as second name. And the Bristol lot have mother's maiden name for second name and mother's, mother's maiden name for third name. So we have Myles Kirkby(mother) Eyre(maternal grandmother)Ariel. Jane, David, Mary, the whole lot have Kirkby Eyre Ariel after the first name.

Yes that would make sense This is a Bristol/North Somerset family Annie's son ended up with the somewhat unwieldy moniker Edward Hathway Hayman James - the Hathway and James from his father and Hayman from his mother. Cheers Lisa