"Trond Risting Kielland" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected] > Just a wild guess, but there is a place not far from Trondheim in Norway > called Hoston. Spoken by a norwegian this would sound allmost exactly like > whoston in english. Hoston however is a bit inland which makes it less > probable that someone from there would become a fisherman, not impossible > though. interesting shot my -ton theory down nicely http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=site:no+Hoston+ Ansedel för Idde Jonsdatter Moe ... Biografi. Skifte 1768. Gifte och barn. Lars Amundsen Hoston. Bruker i 1723. Født 1692 i Hoston, Orkdal. Død 1743. Gift 1720. Jon Larsen Hoston Kjelstad. ... home.online.no/~leskjerv/aner/1436.htm Hoston, in the valley called Orkdal. http://www.google.com/search?q=site:no+Hoston+&num=100&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&lr=lang_en&sa=X&oi=lrtip9 Untitled ... The farm Nordlian is located in Hoston, a small upvalley village in Orkdal county, Norway. To get there, go south on highway E39 from Orkanger. ... www.idi.ntnu.no/~guttors/not/epers.html Hoston, N-7320 Fannrem, NORWAY. http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=7320+Fannrem%2C enjoy Hugh W

Hugh Watkins wrote: > > "Trond Risting Kielland" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected] > > Just a wild guess, but there is a place not far from Trondheim in Norway > > called Hoston. Spoken by a norwegian this would sound allmost exactly like > > whoston in english. Hoston however is a bit inland which makes it less > > probable that someone from there would become a fisherman, not impossible > > though. > > interesting > shot my -ton theory down nicely Not really. It is correct that there is a farm Hoston in Orkdal (and, I think, one or two more in Norway). However, the original poster believed that this forefather came from Norway to England in the 1400s. First, it is not likely that he kept the farm name as a surname when going abroad. (Surnames was not established in Norway in the 1400s). Second, the name "Hoston" in Norway probably did not have this form in the 1400s. I also suspect that the english pronunciation of "Whoston" has changed since then. Thirdly, it is not obvious that "whoston" is a possible english expression of the norwegian pronunciation of Hoston. I suggest you keep the -ton theory, and that Joe search for his Whoston forefather in England. Ivar S. Ertesvåg