Hi list, Very interested in all the email re: naming patterns, and was wondering if anyone else had come across any illegitimate children with apparent surnames as middle names? I believe that if a child was born illegitimately and the father wasn't present at the registration the mother was unable to put him in the official records. i wondered if the practice of giving the child his surname as a middle name was a clever way of side stepping the law and getting the fathers name in official records?? a theory, but one born out of one example in my family tree. I'd be interested in other's views of this theory, Best regards, Sue Harley Researching: McHarrie et al in Stoneykirk

As this interesting e-mail thread on lying about one's age, during the early 1800s makes its way through the incredible pool of knowledge that is the DG List, I thought I would start a second thread. This time I am eager to hear your thoughts regarding the crippled. I raise this issue because from my perspective and focus (emigration to Canada from Scotland in the early 1800s) men lied about their age so as to get on board the ship, and they also lied about the physical condition of their kin and children. Again, my GGGgrandfather Walter Black was 53 when he boarded the George Canning. However, I am told the age limit was 50. Anyone over that age would not be permitted to board because he was considered at risk, and not capable of surviving in the Canadas. For similar reasons those afflicted with physical ailments were also not permitted. Children (teenagers) with club-foot maladies, for example, were left on the dock to bid farewell to their families. Interestingly enough, however, my GGGgrandfather brought his wife and five children. The eldest boy, however, was deaf and dumb. Is this a physical ailment that might have prevented his passage? Does anyone else have examples of cripples who were not permitted to make the journey? What about those with obvious physical ailments that were permitted to make the journey? Looking forward to hearing from you. Dean