Hi Craig, You wrote: > My question is this: my grandfather always signed his surname with an > underscore under the raised lowercase c. Was this a) an affectation? > b) a 19C typesetters convention? or c) a signifying indication of some > sort? The underlined c is shorthand for 'ac'. So Mc (here I've underlined the c but I'm not sure it will get through our list's server) is shorthand for 'mac' ('son'). When typewriters and lead type came in, the underline replaced the much older manuscript shorthand form which placed a short line over the c instead of under it. 'Mc' with a short line over the c was the original Gaelic shorthand (called 'nod' in Gaelic) for 'mac'. There were hundreds of such 'nodanna' (shorthand forms) which ceased to be used when type came in, but they are still known to experts. For example, there will be a course in reading Irish manuscripts at Harvard's Celtic Languages & Literatures Department this Fall. Le gach dea-ghui/ Best, Jerry On Thu, Jul 21, 2011 at 6:23 PM, Craig McKie <craig@mckie.ca> wrote: > My given surname is McKie. This was originally Macaoidh in Gaelic. The > seminal historical man was one Aie MacEth, rusticated from Strabane to > the coast of Sutherland sometime near the end of the first millenium > or so it is said. Nevertheless I was once berated by a woman at the > Gaelic Society in Inverness for not adopting the 'official' anglicized > spelling, MacKay. > > My spelling is particular to Galloway and Dumfries, there being > gravestones in the old cemetery in Kirkcudbright and Dundrennan Abbey > stretching back to at least the early 1800s with that spelling. There > is fragmentary evidence of these kindred living in the area since > before AD1300 largely based on the fact that some of said people > received a gift of land in recognition of service to the Bruce at > Bannockburn as archers. The 1841 Census has my GGG grandfather living > near Moniaive in the same general area. > > My question is this: my grandfather always signed his surname with an > underscore under the raised lowercase c. Was this a) an affectation? > b) a 19C typesetters convention? or c) a signifying indication of some > sort? > > > R1b1c7 Research and Links: > > http://clanmaclochlainn.com/R1b1c7/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > DNA-R1B1C7-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > R1b1c7 Research and Links: http://clanmaclochlainn.com/R1b1c7/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DNA-R1B1C7-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message R1b1c7 Research and Links: http://clanmaclochlainn.com/R1b1c7/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DNA-R1B1C7-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

This applies not only to surnames. So the abbreviation for William is Wm with a line under the 'm'. The abbreviation for Archibald is Ard with a line under the 'rd'. I've also seen abbreviations without the underlining, but that may be just because what I've seen are type-written transcripts from a type-writer that didn't have an underline facility. Until Jerry wrote a note about nodanna, I had no idea though that it was part of a type of short-hand writing system. I just knew they were abbreviations. Sandy -----Original Message----- From: dna-r1b1c7-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:dna-r1b1c7-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Jerry Kelly Sent: 22 July 2011 16:28 To: dna-r1b1c7@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [R-M222] the underlined 'c' Hi Craig, You wrote: > My question is this: my grandfather always signed his surname with an > underscore under the raised lowercase c. Was this a) an affectation? > b) a 19C typesetters convention? or c) a signifying indication of some > sort? The underlined c is shorthand for 'ac'. So Mc (here I've underlined the c but I'm not sure it will get through our list's server) is shorthand for 'mac' ('son'). When typewriters and lead type came in, the underline replaced the much older manuscript shorthand form which placed a short line over the c instead of under it. 'Mc' with a short line over the c was the original Gaelic shorthand (called 'nod' in Gaelic) for 'mac'.