Genealogy Chat

Hi Susan Just ran your traditional naming sequence past my CARTER lot - and lo and behold! The names come out right for the husband and wife currently at the "top" of my tree (they married in 1807). Third son and third daughter have same names as their parents. So, if I assume the naming of all the children follows the traditional "rules" I've got a basis for what parental names to look for in the 1780s in parish registers. Having been agitating about how I was going to "know" if I've found the right parents when I begin this search, your tip might be just the breakthrough I need. Many thanks. Barbara

On the other hand it can be really helpful because if you suddenly get an Arbuthnot where no Arbuthnot has been before, you get v suspicious and find, as I did, that a neighbour's child had been "taken in" after its parents died. Apart from Traditional Naming Patterns, my lot loved giving their children the mother's maiden name - or HER mother's maiden name. It can be quite helpful in working out marriages. But I have a run of James with a son James - 6 generations in all, very confusing.

I know what you mean about naming the children my nan had 15 children all boys named after Kings of England and all girls after Flowers so I have so far found George Charles Harold Edward Arthur William Rose Lily Violet May Daisy and of course when one died she named the next one after it so far have 3 Violet and 3 Lilys 2 Charles cant wait for the day I find all of them

The continual use of the same given names in families can be annoying and frustrating at times - and at other times quite helpful. It wasnt just a case of lack of imagination or even names available (no footballers or pop stars back then - thank gawd! lol) Up until about the mid 1870's there was a kind of pattern for naming children - the 1st son was named after the husband's father, the 2nd son after the wife's father, the 3rd after the husband, the 4th after the husband's eldest brother. And the same principle was applied to the daughters born - 1st one after wife's mother, 2nd after the husband's mother, 3rd after the wife, etc So it can be a nightmare if trying to research a family in a small village - trying to work out who is who. I have 2 cousins marrying and when i checked the parish records, both their fathers had the same name! Ack! I have at least one family in my tree that has given the same name to 2 of their children - and not because the younger one died.... they have both been found alive on later census years. Imagine - if a William married a Mary (for instance) and they had 4 girls and 4 boys, all named following the pattern and each of those married....... *runs off screaming at the idea* lol