Hello, Has this (very interesting) thread of e-mails discussing naming conventions yet addressed middle names? My research into my family tree has uncovered a consistent habit of naming the first born son after his mother's father - where the family middle name is concerned. For example, my father's name Noel Ernest Black reflects his mother's (Marcelle Gauthier) father's (Ernest Gauthier) name. Noel's father - Clayton Thomas Black - derives the name Thomas from his mother's (Elizabeth Wren) father's (Thomas Wren) name. Any perspectives listers might have on this aspect of naming patterns would be most appreciated. I should add that this pattern is followed without fail for seven generations until it breaks down owing to the early death of one man and an early death of another's wife such that he remarries. Where children lose a father very early on in life the naming pattern is lost, or so it would seem. Thank you for any information others might be able to provide. Dean -----Original Message----- From: Ian Ritchie [mailto:iritchie1@iprimus.com.au] Sent: August 1, 2004 7:24 AM To: DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [D-G LIST] Scottish Naming Patterns Thankyou all for the feedback. It appears that my theory is at least possible. I don't really have a possible first son's birth or death but was just checking that it was a possiblility. I'm looking for parents for my Walter Ritchie (b.circa 1796) and,with no obvious standout possibilities,began to look at other scenarios. I found possible parents who would fill the criteria as far as the other children of Walter & Martha were concerned providing I made the assumption that a first son had been born and then,conveniently,died. I know,it's the old long bow again and I've changed the string more than once already but at least I'm still aiming at the same target. Incidentally how do illegitimate children figure in this naming scheme? e.g.If Martha had a child before she married Walter,and to a different father, is it still child number one? or only as far as Martha is concerned? Sorry about that last query - I know I'm pushing my luck. Ian Ritchie ==== DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY Mailing List ==== <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> If your line involves the surname GRAHAM why not join CLAN-GRAHAM-L@rootsweb.com and find out more. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

We've started doing this with our children. The girls have got my name for their middle, and the boys have got my husband's for their middle. That way they have an inherited name, but they also have their own identity, if you see what I mean. Probably THE most annoying naming pattern I've come across is a Yorkshire family who named all their children with the same first name, for example Thomas, but called them by their middle names. Arrrggggg! Didn't they stop to think about us crazy genealogists tearing our hair out trying to identify our ancestors!!!!! Best wishes, Helen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dean Black" <dcblack@sympatico.ca> To: <DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2004 3:02 PM Subject: RE: [D-G LIST] Scottish Naming Patterns > Hello, Has this (very interesting) thread of e-mails discussing naming > conventions yet addressed middle names? My research into my family tree has > uncovered a consistent habit of naming the first born son after his mother's > father - where the family middle name is concerned. For example, my father's > name Noel Ernest Black reflects his mother's (Marcelle Gauthier) father's > (Ernest Gauthier) name. Noel's father - Clayton Thomas Black - derives the > name Thomas from his mother's (Elizabeth Wren) father's (Thomas Wren) name. > Any perspectives listers might have on this aspect of naming patterns would > be most appreciated. I should add that this pattern is followed without fail > for seven generations until it breaks down owing to the early death of one > man and an early death of another's wife such that he remarries. Where > children lose a father very early on in life the naming pattern is lost, or > so it would seem. Thank you for any information others might be able to > provide. > > Dean > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ian Ritchie [mailto:iritchie1@iprimus.com.au] > Sent: August 1, 2004 7:24 AM > To: DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [D-G LIST] Scottish Naming Patterns > > > Thankyou all for the feedback. It appears that my theory is at least > possible. I don't really have a possible first son's birth or death but was > just checking that it was a possiblility. I'm looking for parents for my > Walter Ritchie (b.circa 1796) and,with no obvious standout > possibilities,began to look at other scenarios. I found possible parents who > would fill the criteria as far as the other children of Walter & Martha were > concerned providing I made the assumption that a first son had been born and > then,conveniently,died. I know,it's the old long bow again and I've changed > the string more than once already but at least I'm still aiming at the same > target. > Incidentally how do illegitimate children figure in this naming scheme? > e.g.If Martha had a child before she married Walter,and to a different > father, is it still child number one? or only as far as Martha is concerned? > Sorry about that last query - I know I'm pushing my luck. > > Ian Ritchie > > > > ==== DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY Mailing List ==== > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > If your line involves the surname GRAHAM why not join > CLAN-GRAHAM-L@rootsweb.com and find out more. > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > > > ==== DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY Mailing List ==== > @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ > To reach every member of the list : > Send Email to ....... DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com > >

This pattern is new to me. Could you tell us which part of the world they lived in? Also which centuries it covered? Sheena ----- Original Message ----- From: Dean Black <dcblack@sympatico.ca> To: <DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2004 3:02 PM Subject: RE: [D-G LIST] Scottish Naming Patterns > Hello, Has this (very interesting) thread of e-mails discussing naming > conventions yet addressed middle names? My research into my family tree has > uncovered a consistent habit of naming the first born son after his mother's > father - where the family middle name is concerned. For example, my father's > name Noel Ernest Black reflects his mother's (Marcelle Gauthier) father's > (Ernest Gauthier) name. Noel's father - Clayton Thomas Black - derives the > name Thomas from his mother's (Elizabeth Wren) father's (Thomas Wren) name. > Any perspectives listers might have on this aspect of naming patterns would > be most appreciated. I should add that this pattern is followed without fail > for seven generations until it breaks down owing to the early death of one > man and an early death of another's wife such that he remarries. Where > children lose a father very early on in life the naming pattern is lost, or > so it would seem. Thank you for any information others might be able to > provide. > > Dean > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ian Ritchie [mailto:iritchie1@iprimus.com.au] > Sent: August 1, 2004 7:24 AM > To: DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [D-G LIST] Scottish Naming Patterns > > > Thankyou all for the feedback. It appears that my theory is at least > possible. I don't really have a possible first son's birth or death but was > just checking that it was a possiblility. I'm looking for parents for my > Walter Ritchie (b.circa 1796) and,with no obvious standout > possibilities,began to look at other scenarios. I found possible parents who > would fill the criteria as far as the other children of Walter & Martha were > concerned providing I made the assumption that a first son had been born and > then,conveniently,died. I know,it's the old long bow again and I've changed > the string more than once already but at least I'm still aiming at the same > target. > Incidentally how do illegitimate children figure in this naming scheme? > e.g.If Martha had a child before she married Walter,and to a different > father, is it still child number one? or only as far as Martha is concerned? > Sorry about that last query - I know I'm pushing my luck. > > Ian Ritchie > > > > ==== DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY Mailing List ==== > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > If your line involves the surname GRAHAM why not join > CLAN-GRAHAM-L@rootsweb.com and find out more. > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > > ______________________________

There is another side to the naming pattern thing in that middle names (certainly form the 1920's in my family) took the form of a surname - sometimes the surname of the person the child was named after, sometimes in honour of a close family member, friend, or in one case (in my family) a generous employer. For generations my family believed that four known generations of John Henderson Douglas Coupers all had purely surnames as middle names - since researching I have uncovered that Henderson Douglas was in fact the first name and surname of my GGG grandfather! (Galloway) Ruth (Sydney, Australia) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dean Black" <dcblack@sympatico.ca> To: <DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 02, 2004 12:02 AM Subject: RE: [D-G LIST] Scottish Naming Patterns > Hello, Has this (very interesting) thread of e-mails discussing naming > conventions yet addressed middle names? My research into my family tree has > uncovered a consistent habit of naming the first born son after his mother's > father - where the family middle name is concerned. For example, my father's > name Noel Ernest Black reflects his mother's (Marcelle Gauthier) father's > (Ernest Gauthier) name. Noel's father - Clayton Thomas Black - derives the > name Thomas from his mother's (Elizabeth Wren) father's (Thomas Wren) name. > Any perspectives listers might have on this aspect of naming patterns would > be most appreciated. I should add that this pattern is followed without fail > for seven generations until it breaks down owing to the early death of one > man and an early death of another's wife such that he remarries. Where > children lose a father very early on in life the naming pattern is lost, or > so it would seem. Thank you for any information others might be able to > provide. > > Dean > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ian Ritchie [mailto:iritchie1@iprimus.com.au] > Sent: August 1, 2004 7:24 AM > To: DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [D-G LIST] Scottish Naming Patterns > > > Thankyou all for the feedback. It appears that my theory is at least > possible. I don't really have a possible first son's birth or death but was > just checking that it was a possiblility. I'm looking for parents for my > Walter Ritchie (b.circa 1796) and,with no obvious standout > possibilities,began to look at other scenarios. I found possible parents who > would fill the criteria as far as the other children of Walter & Martha were > concerned providing I made the assumption that a first son had been born and > then,conveniently,died. I know,it's the old long bow again and I've changed > the string more than once already but at least I'm still aiming at the same > target. > Incidentally how do illegitimate children figure in this naming scheme? > e.g.If Martha had a child before she married Walter,and to a different > father, is it still child number one? or only as far as Martha is concerned? > Sorry about that last query - I know I'm pushing my luck. > > Ian Ritchie > > > > ==== DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY Mailing List ==== > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > If your line involves the surname GRAHAM why not join > CLAN-GRAHAM-L@rootsweb.com and find out more. > <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> > > > ==== DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY Mailing List ==== > @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ > To reach every member of the list : > Send Email to ....... DUMFRIES-GALLOWAY-L@rootsweb.com >