I too enjoy 'looking in' on all the postings. I've been following the messages on naming patterns with interest. The habit of using surnames as second christian names is not confined to Scotland, it appears south of the border too. In particular one of my Northamptonshire families used names such as SMITH, THOMPSON, JEFFERY, SABIN, as children's middle names. So it becomes very important to follow the family history practice of using CAPITALS for SURNAMES to show which is the surname. My mother's uncle was referred to as "Longden Oakes" in his lengthy obituary but in fact he was William Longden OAKES, Longden being a family surname passed down through the generations as a second christian name - to girls as well as boys. In Scottish research there is the great advantage of course that women retained their maiden name. If that had been the practice in England it would have been a great help to me with my English ancestors - including my maiden name where the relevant marriage entry c1795 appears to have gone up in smoke when the parish registers caught fire! Yes, a genealogists nightmare come true. Happy hunting everyone, Helen, NSW, Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: "christine thomas" <christine@thomas7765.fsnet.co.uk> To: <DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 10:49 PM Subject: [D-G LIST] Penpont > I read all the listings with interest and live in hope that someone will refer to my TOOLAN family! What caught my eye were the recent listings about Penpont cemetery. Is Penpont a Gaelic word? The reason I ask is that Penpont in Welsh would mean "on top of the bridge" - is there a bridge near the cemetery? Sorry I can never help anyone with their enquiries but I enjoy looking in! From Chris South Wales > > > > ==== DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY Mailing List ==== > ********************************************************************* > If you have any problems with this list or any of its members please > contact the listowner....Tom Welch....tomas@directcon.net > ********************************************************************

Tongue in cheek, of course, I lay this subject out knowing it is one better suited to the ladies out there, than the men. :0) In all seriousness, however, I have noted with quite interest the number of men who lied about their age so as to ensure a berth for their family and passage to Canada in the early 1800s. My own GGGGrandfather - Walter Black - is recorded as 40 years old, as he boarded the George Canning on 14 April 1821 for the Bathurst District in Canada. However, his grave marker cites a birth date of 1769. Clearly he was 53, and not 40. Are there any other stories out there that might shed some additional light on this practice? Was this the only reason why men would lie about their age? Kindest regards from Canada Dean Black