Genealogy Chat

I wonder if anyone can help please. I am struggling to find my great grandfather or his parents. I believe all were Pedlars to trade. I have him marrying my grandmother in Elgin, Scotland (all of my relations without exception so far are Scottish) in 1899 age 21. His parents were Henry Taylor and Helen Taylor nee Aitken. On the Scottish 1891 census, the only family I can find with a William of the right age range, mother Helen, has father as "Nonsy" Taylor. They were all boarding at an address in Forres, which is close to Elgin. Could Nonsy be either a nickname or a name used instead of Henry? If this is them Nonsy was born in Portsmouth, so will start to extend my research outside Scotland! Thanks in advance for any help. Ellen.

Have you looked at the actual image? I had a Henry transcribed as "Stoney"!! Clearly Henry on the actual census image though.

Thanks both for your suggestions. I have the image, and its definitely Nonsy Taylor thats on it! He's showing as, Lodger, Married, age 44/45/46 - not v clear, Pedlar, b. Portsmouth. Helen Taylor, Lodger, Married, Pedlars Wife, age 46, b. Huntly, Aberdeen. William Taylor, Lodger, U, 12, Pedlars son, b. Banff, Banffshire. I've just purchsed some credits for 1837online, and scared myself silly with how complicated it is to search compared with scotlandspeople. I have great admiration for all you non scots! Thanks for the offer of search at Portsmouth, much appreciated. Unfortunately at the mo I don't have any more info. Will spend another couple of hours today though rooting around. Regards Ellen.

There is not a single "Nonsy" on Ancestry, nor on FreeBMD. There's not even any mistranscriptions that ended up as that! I could be wrong, but it sounds like a nickname to me... Richard

I does not show up on a search on ancestry for that first name in either the censuses or BMD. Also nothing on a web search. Unusual for a name to actually be completely unique (though I have one in my family - Stockwood!). Makes it look more like a nickname. Martin

I have a Ringrose in my tree which I thought was pretty...erm...unusual! Someone suggested he was named after the plague! Lou

Thanks everyone for your help. I'm pretty sure it has to be a nickname, so still gives me hope it may be Henry! Linda re Sutherlands. Hubby's side of the family. Don't have your name in my tree (yet!). At turn of the century, our Sutherlands were from Durness on the northernmost tip of Scotland (county = Sutherland). People did travel across from the islands - I am assuming your Kirkwell is Kirkwall, Orkney Islands (off the north coast of Scotland). I don't mean to be patronising if you already know the geography of Scotland - not everyone does! Cheers Ellen.

Lou Ringrose is a pretty common surname round here. There's even a Ringrose Street Jeanette x

Jeanette This was his FIRST name - Ringrose Solomon Schofield. Hope he got a long line to sign his name on...assuming he could write! Lou

Sorry Lou didn't explain myself very well did I! lol. What I was thinking was that it was quite common to give children a family surname as a christian name. Just wondered if perhaps Ringrose appeared as a maiden name somewhere in your tree. And Schofield is quite a common name round these parts too. Was he a Yorkshire lad? Jeanette x

I tried googling and, apart from a number of links which appear to be vulgar, there were a number of more promising ones where it seems to be used as a first name. - You also have to weed out the ones where "Nonsy" is the beginning of a split word ending "-stematic" "-mmetrical" "-nonymous" and so on. Worth a try, anyway. Christine

Jeanette I think he was actually, yes. He married in Ashton under Lyne but for some reason Halifax springs to mind when I think of him. I'll have to have a look in my notes later and see! Lou