The simplest explanation of the spelling "Luna" for the Manx name most commonly rendered as "Looney", is that people in the southern states, especially those in the southern highlands, where most of the early 18th and 19th century Looneys lived, pronounced the letter "a" on the end of a word, especially a name, the same way they pronounced "y" or "i" or "ey" or "ie" on the end of a name. If you look at the spelling of names in contemporary records of the time, you will see this over and over again. In another of my family lines, the Swiss surname "Hagi" was rendered by most Americans over time as Hagy or Hagey. But one line in southwestern Virginia spelled the name Haga. The name, though ending with an "a" instead of the other spelllings, was pronounced the same initially. Like Luna, though, over time it came to be pronounced as most people today pronounce words that end in "a". One of my great grandmothers, whose first name was Didema (born in 1860), had her name pronounced as if it were "Didemey." Even today in southwestern Virginia, two of my mother's sisters, whose names are Geneva, and Ada, are called "Genevey", and "Adey", never as their names would seem by most to be pronounced. If Peter Luna were able to hear how his descendants pronounce his last name today, he would be shocked. Wayne Modlin ----- Original Message ----- From: "Soheyr Azar" <SoheyrAzar@cox.net> To: <LOONEY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 5:44 PM Subject: RE: Luna name derivation [was Peter Luna] > NSayed6626 wrote: > I'm often confused about the origins of the Looney/Luna name myself. > Some > people swear that it's old Irish, and now some people say that it's > originally Spanish, from the time of the inquisition. > > In reply to Joyce Luna's: > According to Mrs. Jane Luna, on page 4 of "The Descendants of Peter Luna > (1759 - 1851). > Quote:" Our Peter Luna adopted the spelling Luna for his surname, said to > be the old original spelling of the name." > > I have written to this list before on this subject, and it is somewhere in > the archives in greater detail. If we assume that Peter is the son of the > immigrant Robert Looney from the Isle of Man (this is not my husband's > line > so I don't know the proofs), the old Manx pronunciation of Looney (and > current colloquial pronunciation) is close to lu-na (the "u" is as in > "rule" > and the "a" as the "e" in "misery"). Peter just decided to spell the name > the way they pronounced it. > > Looney is an old Manx name derived from the Gallic Mac Giolla Dhomhnaigh, > the Lord's servant, and O'Luinigh, descendant of Luinigh (which means > armed). Mac Guilley Manx names once consisted of three parts, Mac=son, > guilley=boy, and a saint's name. It is assumed that these people once were > dedicated in some fashion to a certain saint. The names eroded down to a > few > syllables over time. And also spelling rules evolved over the centuries. > > MacGuillowny is found in 1498, Gilownie and MacLawney in 1540, Lownie and > Lewney in 1623, Looney in 1644. > > Looney is still a very common Manx name, especially in Maughold > (pronounced > Mac-uld) Parish. > > This is taken from Surnames of the Manx, which is in turn derived largely > from the definitive work, Manx Personal Names (1937). > > Or maybe Peter just didn't want to get the funny looks that one gets when > you tell them your name is Looney. > > Teresa McVeigh > New Orleans, LA > > > > > ==== LOONEY Mailing List ==== > This list is dedicated to the search for ancestors of LOONEY, LUNNEY, > LUNA (Scotch-Irish), LEENEY and variations, all of which originated in > County Cork, Ireland. Please refer other researchers to our list. > > > ============================== > New! Family Tree Maker 2005. Build your tree and search for your ancestors > at the same time. Share your tree with family and friends. Learn more: > http://landing.ancestry.com/familytreemaker/2005/tour.aspx?sourceid=14599&targetid=5429 >

Some of the old researchers of the Looney/Luna line speculated that the name change may have been because there were two Peter Looneys (first cousins) living in the same area at the same time and both had wives with the same first name. This fit into the time frame when "Luna" began showing up on legal records, etc. Although my grandfather (born in 1884) spelled his name "Luna", he introduced himself to people as "John Looney". However, all his descendants, children, grandchildren on down, have always pronounced it Luna. I had to laugh when I read your post, Wayne, about Ada being Adey, Geneva - Genevey, etc. It is the same in my rural area. We had a neighbor named Thelmer. She would get highly upset if anyone called her "Thelma". One person introduced himself with his surname pronounced as "Gar" . I was shocked when I saw it written. . . Guyer. Karen

Upon checking further I found I had answered this after all. Anything new out there?? Nita

Thanks to all of you who have had experiences with the name LUNA. Yes, they do take a second look at you when you say the magic word, "LUNA". JOYCE Quoting Lucyluna@aol.com: > I too have had great fun with my Luna name and blonde hair. I grew > up in a > community with many hispanic families, and my mother was a teacher. > There were > a lot of double takes for sure. > > Elizabeth Luna Mourning > > > ==== LOONEY Mailing List ==== > This list is dedicated to the search for ancestors of LOONEY, LUNNEY, > LUNA (Scotch-Irish), LEENEY and variations, all of which originated > in > County Cork, Ireland. Please refer other researchers to our list. > > > ============================== > Search the US Census Collection. Over 140 million records added in > the > last 12 months. Largest online collection in the world. Learn more: > http://www.ancestry.com/s13965/rd.ashx > >

This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/ECx.2ACEB/352.1.1.2.1 Message Board Post: Sorry, I did not read this e-mail last year. If you are still out there, please e-mail me directly to n5bry@aol.com. Can clarify some of the Harbison quandry. Nita

Dear Teresa, Thanks for the refresher lesson on the Looney surname. My last "Looney" was Louisa Looney, married to James Brigham in about 1760. She was the daughter of Thomas, who was the son of the original Robert Looney and Elizabeth Llewellyn. You have inspired me to pull out Madge Looney Crane's wonderful book, and do some more studying:-). Nancy In reply to Joyce Luna's: According to Mrs. Jane Luna, on page 4 of "The Descendants of Peter Luna (1759 - 1851). Quote:" Our Peter Luna adopted the spelling Luna for his surname, said to be the old original spelling of the name." I have written to this list before on this subject, and it is somewhere in the archives in greater detail. If we assume that Peter is the son of the immigrant Robert Looney from the Isle of Man (this is not my husband's line so I don't know the proofs), the old Manx pronunciation of Looney (and current colloquial pronunciation) is close to lu-na (the "u" is as in "rule" and the "a" as the "e" in "misery"). Peter just decided to spell the name the way they pronounced it. Looney is an old Manx name derived from the Gallic Mac Giolla Dhomhnaigh, the Lord's servant, and O'Luinigh, descendant of Luinigh (which means armed). Mac Guilley Manx names once consisted of three parts, Mac=son, guilley=boy, and a saint's name. It is assumed that these people once were dedicated in some fashion to a certain saint. The names eroded down to a few syllables over time. And also spelling rules evolved over the centuries. MacGuillowny is found in 1498, Gilownie and MacLawney in 1540, Lownie and Lewney in 1623, Looney in 1644. Looney is still a very common Manx name, especially in Maughold (pronounced Mac-uld) Parish. This is taken from Surnames of the Manx, which is in turn derived largely from the definitive work, Manx Personal Names (1937). Or maybe Peter just didn't want to get the funny looks that one gets when you tell them your name is Looney. Teresa McVeigh New Orleans, LA

NSayed6626 wrote: I'm often confused about the origins of the Looney/Luna name myself. Some people swear that it's old Irish, and now some people say that it's originally Spanish, from the time of the inquisition. In reply to Joyce Luna's: According to Mrs. Jane Luna, on page 4 of "The Descendants of Peter Luna (1759 - 1851). Quote:" Our Peter Luna adopted the spelling Luna for his surname, said to be the old original spelling of the name." I have written to this list before on this subject, and it is somewhere in the archives in greater detail. If we assume that Peter is the son of the immigrant Robert Looney from the Isle of Man (this is not my husband's line so I don't know the proofs), the old Manx pronunciation of Looney (and current colloquial pronunciation) is close to lu-na (the "u" is as in "rule" and the "a" as the "e" in "misery"). Peter just decided to spell the name the way they pronounced it. Looney is an old Manx name derived from the Gallic Mac Giolla Dhomhnaigh, the Lord's servant, and O'Luinigh, descendant of Luinigh (which means armed). Mac Guilley Manx names once consisted of three parts, Mac=son, guilley=boy, and a saint's name. It is assumed that these people once were dedicated in some fashion to a certain saint. The names eroded down to a few syllables over time. And also spelling rules evolved over the centuries. MacGuillowny is found in 1498, Gilownie and MacLawney in 1540, Lownie and Lewney in 1623, Looney in 1644. Looney is still a very common Manx name, especially in Maughold (pronounced Mac-uld) Parish. This is taken from Surnames of the Manx, which is in turn derived largely from the definitive work, Manx Personal Names (1937). Or maybe Peter just didn't want to get the funny looks that one gets when you tell them your name is Looney. Teresa McVeigh New Orleans, LA

I'm often confused about the origins of the Looney/Luna name myself. Some people swear that it's old Irish, and now some people say that it's originally Spanish, from the time of the inquisition. Reminds me of the story I heard about a white girl trying to speak Spanish at her Hispanic boyfriend's house. She wanted to say that she was embarrassed (to attempt speaking another language). What she managed to say was that she was "embarrasada", which in Spanish means "pregnant". That REALLY took some explaining...

I too have had great fun with my Luna name and blonde hair. I grew up in a community with many hispanic families, and my mother was a teacher. There were a lot of double takes for sure. Elizabeth Luna Mourning

Recently while browsing other boards, since this one is so silent these days, I found a person that had just begun researching the Looney side of her family. Fortunately, this was Bill's line and I could point her back a little further with certainty. However, I am still searching for new information regarding the Jonathan and Jane Harbison Looney children issue. To review what we do know. I am not certain that those researching this family have made the note in their records that Jane Harbison was not the daughter of the Augusta Co., VA, William and Mary Harbison listed as Jean in Wm.'s will. Jane's parents were Rachel Porter and James Harbison living in the Harrodsburg/Danville, KY area on or near Chaplin Creek when Jane and Jonathan married. They apparently continued to live in that area until after Jane's mother, Rachel, died - somewhere around 1810/11. Her father died some years before. Not going to state dates I can't recall off the top of my head to avoid confusion. Jonathan and Jane Looney moved to the Lincoln Co., TN, area at least before 1814-17, settling on or near Mulberry Creek. Her sister, Ann Porter Harbison Shaw, also traveled to this area about the same time, taking her two children, leaving her husband, and essentially - running off with John Silvertooth of the same Lincoln Co. KY Jonathan and Jane had lived. I have recently found that Ann's son, Thomas Harbison Shaw, is the child listed with Jonathan and Jane Looney on the 1820 census, and was not a child of the Looneys. It took me many years to find a Harbison researcher willing to share the information. That at least finally cleared up who the child in the 1820 census was. The Joseph Looney attributed to this couple moved to Randolph Co., AR, at some uncertain date, but joined Michael (3), son of Absolum 2, Robert 1 in that county. He married Thena Stubblefield, daughter of William and Elizabeth (McDaniel?) Stubblefield and William married her sister Rhoda Stubblefield. Has anyone found any new information regarding the Stubblefield/McDaniel/Looney connection? There must be lots of information on all of the Looney families that is not being posted on our Looney site. We really need to restart some dialogue here for the sake of newcomers to genealogy such as my new contact. She had backed up as far as Jonathan Looney and Anna (Annie) Jane Jones and lists her line here. William S LOONEY>> Sarah a LOONEY> >Alonzo Stubblefield GOING>> Duel G GOING ( My Grandfather) Sarah married Charley Azro Going who I have no ancestry on either. I was able to provide a little on Alonzo Stubblefield Going but nothing further on the Going side. If anyone out there has further information, we would appreciate seeing it posted. Many of us are getting older and many seem to be dropping out. She is mid-40's and anxious to get started. Time to pass the torch??? Thanks for any help here on any of the above lines. And our best to all of you we have corresponded with and enjoyed in the past. Nita and Bill Fry, Flynn, TX

Our family gets the same thing. We even had a Mexican family of Luna folks show up at one of our reunions. They saw our "Luna Reunion" sign out front of the building and stopped in to see if it was their people. Of course, they saw immediately it wasn't, but we all (them too) had a good laugh. We invited them to stay, but they didn't. The name makes for some interesting assumptions on other peoples part. Karen Luna Ray At 10:20 AM 7/26/2005 -0500, you wrote: >According to Mrs. Jane Luna, on page 4 of "The >Descendants of Peter Luna (1759 - 1851). >Quote:" Our Peter Luna adopted the spelling Luna for his surname, said to >be the old original spelling of the name." >These different -variations can be followed in land and court records and >tax lists, although the Looney spelling was still applied to our Peter >Luna some of the time, continuing the confusion. >It is still confusing, I talked to someone years ago >and they said that it was spelled according to what >it sounded like to the person writing it down. >Luney, Lunny, luney, loney etc., >The original is Spanish. I married a Luna and my children are >Lunas. There sill be no change for me. I am having so much trouble with >callers, mail >and just plain everyday stuff. I cannot read Spanish but I get mail in >Spanish, phone calls and last week when I gave a clerk my debit >card he looked at me and I knew what he was thinking, so I told him I was >not Spanish and all >my husbands people were from Ireland. Boy! >does that get a laugh! >Joyce Luna > > >==== LOONEY Mailing List ==== >Please keep the topic related to LOONEY (and variants) family history. >Other topics should be taken off-line (mail them directly). Also, don't >post "ME TOO" or "GO AHEAD" messages to the list. Send them directly. >Note: The default "Reply To:" for this list is the list, not the sender. > > >============================== >Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the >areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. >Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx

According to Mrs. Jane Luna, on page 4 of "The Descendants of Peter Luna (1759 - 1851). Quote:" Our Peter Luna adopted the spelling Luna for his surname, said to be the old original spelling of the name." These different -variations can be followed in land and court records and tax lists, although the Looney spelling was still applied to our Peter Luna some of the time, continuing the confusion. It is still confusing, I talked to someone years ago and they said that it was spelled according to what it sounded like to the person writing it down. Luney, Lunny, luney, loney etc., The original is Spanish. I married a Luna and my children are Lunas. There sill be no change for me. I am having so much trouble with callers, mail and just plain everyday stuff. I cannot read Spanish but I get mail in Spanish, phone calls and last week when I gave a clerk my debit card he looked at me and I knew what he was thinking, so I told him I was not Spanish and all my husbands people were from Ireland. Boy! does that get a laugh! Joyce Luna

Hi, **This message is being sent to the LOONEY mailing list.** The email address that RootsWeb has for the LOONEY list admin patldavis@aol.com is bouncing, so RootsWeb is looking to make contact with the list admin. Will the list admin please contact Andrew Billinghurst (billingh@rootsweb.com) so that we know that you are still maintaining this list and please reply quoting this message. List members there is nothing for you to worry about and nothing for you to do, it is probably just an email problem for the person looking after the day-to-day management of this list. Rest assured that this does not mean that your list is in danger. Thanks! Andrew Billinghurst, RootsWeb Staff billingh@rootsweb.com -- Andrew Billinghurst <billingh@rootsweb.com> Adopt-a-mailing list -> http://resources.rootsweb.com/adopt/ Ancestry.com--Your #1 Source for Family History Online http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237

----- Original Message ----- From: wa and judi wright To: Looney List Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005 10:24 PM Subject: Pat Davis Miller As many of you know my cousin Pat has been in poor health lately. I had heard from her for a couple of months and she did not respond to my emails. Therefore I inquired and attempted to locate her son Tim. Last night I spoke with him and he informed me that Pat has passed away in April 2005, We had become good friends searching for our Joseph A. Looney. She loved Looney Genealogy and we will miss her very much. We love you Pat...... Judi Wright

Dear Frances, I located an LDS marriage record for an ALFRED A. MANIS and a CATHARINE J. MOONEY; married 14 Dec. 1881 in Hawkins, TN. I also found an 1880 Greene Co., TN. Census record for an ALFRED MANESS, bc. 1858 in TN.; apparently a very recent widower; shown as the son-in-law of Valentine & Mary A. Couch. This Alfred is also listed with his infant son SEBURN W. MANESS (b. May 1880) Take care. John C. Sears _JSears2111@aol.com_ (mailto:JSears2111@aol.com)

After years of searching, I recently obtained information regarding the possible ancestry of our "G.W. Looney" and as all genealogists know... with the new information, came a whole series of new questions. It seems that our George Washington Looney (b. Ga. 1864 - d. MS. 1947), "may have" been born to Amanda "Mandy" Vaughters (b. Ga. 1844 - d. Ga. 1914). The family lore states that Amanda's mother had been married to a "Vaughters" and when he died, she married a "Looney". Our Amanda was raised in that Looney household, in Ga., and her son George was fathered by one of her Looney step-brothers. On 15 Dec.1868, in Clarke Co., Ga., this Amanda married Willis Milford Roach (b. SC. 1847 - d. Ga. 1922) and Willis raised George as his own son along with their other children. As GEORGE W. LOONEY, I was never able to locate an 1870 nor 1880 Census record for him but with this new information, I find him as GEORGE ROACH, in the household of Willis and Amanda Roach. As I tried to locate a LOONEY family which resided in Georgia at the time of our George's birth, I was unable to find one which included an AMANDA VAUGHTERS in the household. I then tried for a family which included an AMANDA LOONEY (bc. Ga. 1844), in case she had been shown with her step-father's surname. I located the family of Thomas and Rachel Looney in the 1850 Franklin Co., Ga. Census and in the 1860 DeKalb Co., AL. Census. An Amanda Looney (b. Ga. 1844) is shown in the family in both records. The obituary for our G.W. Looney stated that he had been born in Ga.but that " his family had removed to Alabama, when he was a child ". This opened up an Alabama connection. I'd like to hear from anyone who has ever heard of any similar stories within any of the Georgia LOONEY families. Don't hesitate to guide my search efforts and identify mistakes I've made. Thanks for all your help in advance. Sincerely, John C. Sears _JSears2111@aol.com_ (mailto:JSears2111@aol.com)

Did you send a message to Ann McDonald? I'm sure that she'd love to hear from you! ___________________________________________________________________ Get Juno Platinum for as low as $6.95/month! Unlimited Internet Access with 250MB of Email Storage. Visit http://www.juno.com/bestoffer to sign up today!

I received this at my Yahoo address this afternoon - can someone help?? ---------- Forwarded Message ---------- --- Ann McDonald <mcdonald@newwavecomm.net> wrote: > From: "Ann McDonald" <mcdonald@newwavecomm.net> > To: "Alton & Emma Bohannon" <altonbo@charter.net>, > <rhonda_1961@yahoo.com> > CC: "Ann McDonald" <mcdonald@newwavecomm.net> > Subject: Luna Family > Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 12:41:36 -0500 > > Dear Rhonda, > > I found your site this morning and sent the link to my dad Alton who > has > been gathering our genealogy for 50+ years. > > Here is our line: > Amaryllis Ann Bohannon McDonald > Dau of Wm. Alton Bohannon > Son of Effie Eunice Savage Bohannon > Dau of Armelta Bellzora Watts Savage > Dau of Eliza Ann Luna Watts > Dau of James Kain Luna > Son of James Luna > Son of Peter Grancer Luna > > Dad was wondering if you have some of our Luna family in MS marrying > into a > Stroud family in Scott, Leake, Newton or Neshoba Counties. > > Thanks, > > Ann > > > > ___________________________________________________________________ Get Juno Platinum for as low as $6.95/month! Unlimited Internet Access with 250MB of Email Storage. Visit http://www.juno.com/bestoffer to sign up today!

Thanks Rhonda. Will do. I totally missed her email addy on the other post. Thanks. Karen At 07:58 PM 6/21/2005 +0000, you wrote: >Did you send a message to Ann McDonald? I'm sure that she'd love to hear >from you!

James Kain Luna is my line. . . through his son Andrew Jackson Luna. I have moved recently and don't think all my genealogy info is unpacked yet. I will try to look the info up in my "Luna" books as soon as I can get my hands on them. In the meantime, there is a guy by the name of Ray Luna in McAlester, Ok. that is descended from Eliza and at one time was doing work on that line. Karen Luna Ray At 06:18 PM 6/21/2005 +0000, you wrote: >I received this at my Yahoo address this afternoon - can someone help?? > >---------- Forwarded Message ---------- > > >--- Ann McDonald <mcdonald@newwavecomm.net> wrote: > > > From: "Ann McDonald" <mcdonald@newwavecomm.net> > > To: "Alton & Emma Bohannon" <altonbo@charter.net>, > > <rhonda_1961@yahoo.com> > > CC: "Ann McDonald" <mcdonald@newwavecomm.net> > > Subject: Luna Family > > Date: Tue, 21 Jun 2005 12:41:36 -0500 > > > > Dear Rhonda, > > > > I found your site this morning and sent the link to my dad Alton who > > has > > been gathering our genealogy for 50+ years. > > > > Here is our line: > > Amaryllis Ann Bohannon McDonald > > Dau of Wm. Alton Bohannon > > Son of Effie Eunice Savage Bohannon > > Dau of Armelta Bellzora Watts Savage > > Dau of Eliza Ann Luna Watts > > Dau of James Kain Luna > > Son of James Luna > > Son of Peter Grancer Luna > > > > Dad was wondering if you have some of our Luna family in MS marrying > > into a > > Stroud family in Scott, Leake, Newton or Neshoba Counties. > > > > Thanks, > > > > Ann > > > > > > > > > >___________________________________________________________________ >Get Juno Platinum for as low as $6.95/month! >Unlimited Internet Access with 250MB of Email Storage. >Visit http://www.juno.com/bestoffer to sign up today! > > >==== LOONEY Mailing List ==== >If you find a web page somewhere listing Manx, Irish or Scotch surnames >and they don't include LOONEY/LUNA/etc., send them a note to let them >know we're around. The more advertising we have, the more help we get.