This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: bernie812 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.brannigan/214.1.1.2.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hi, I have often been curious why there are so many families in the same town with the same surname, and the further back one goes the more consistency there is in the spelling. This has to be more than just coincidence. Are these families connected by common ancestor(s)? I can't answer that, but I do know the locals used "Ancestral Names" to distinguish between one Branigan family and another. These ancestral names can be found even in documents such as the Griffiths Valuation. For example, there is a name listed in Griffiths as follows: Francis Branigan (Tom). This identifies this person as descendant of Thomas Branigan, not to be confused with other Francis Branigans on the same document. Some other ancestral names are the "Artys", "Terr" (Terrance) and the "Barneys or Barney Franks". The last name is my ancestral name. Do you know your ancestral name? I have no Felix or Charles in my tree and my Francis does not match (DOB) with yours. So if we are related, it goes way back. There is a Felix in 1830 Tithe Applotments. I will check my records and attempt to contact my Irish relatives for input. Regards Bernard Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.