You'll notice some of these referenced when you look through the Revised Valuations (lease tax records). Seems like everyone had the same name, so they got a nickname that everyone knew them by. The record will show the real name and then the nickname after it. Sue On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 9:37 AM, wrote: > Hello listers, > Abut the family nicknames. I was in Ireland last May and went knocking on > a few doors in Clonmany Donegal where my Callaghan's are from. I had tea > with some Callaghan's there and she referenced some Callaghan's that way. > There were willy Callaghan's and one family was even the 'wee priest > Callahghan's'. I didn't pick up on that to ask how that family got their > name which is a huge mistake. My husband asked me after why I didn't ask the > meaning of that name. I must have been looking at a photo album. He figured > if I didn't find it important anough to ask he didn't need too. > By the way that part of Donegal is where there are many Doherty family's. > Maybe its a local custom? > Cheryl > > ---- Original message ---- > >Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:00:13 -0700 > >From: mamiddle-request@rootsweb.com > > > > > >> > >> I know this kind of list can go on-and-on, but does anyone have a > > > >Does anyone know about the "irish family" nicknames.? Someone told me > that > >for example Doherty being such a very common name in Ireland, they gave > >family nicknames to keep them seperate. How did they (or did the family > >themselves) decide on the name? > >Has anyone ever heard of "White" being one of those nicknames ? > > > >bn >

They'd be happy to answer such a question on the Y-IRL list at Yahoogroups. Yours, Dora Smith Austin, TX tiggernut24@yahoo.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sue Richart" <srichart4@gmail.com> To: <mamiddle@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 11:43 AM Subject: Re: [MAMiddle] Irish family nicknames > You'll notice some of these referenced when you look through the Revised > Valuations (lease tax records). Seems like everyone had the same name, so > they got a nickname that everyone knew them by. The record will show the > real name and then the nickname after it. > > Sue > > On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 9:37 AM, wrote: > >> Hello listers, >> Abut the family nicknames. I was in Ireland last May and went knocking >> on >> a few doors in Clonmany Donegal where my Callaghan's are from. I had tea >> with some Callaghan's there and she referenced some Callaghan's that way. >> There were willy Callaghan's and one family was even the 'wee priest >> Callahghan's'. I didn't pick up on that to ask how that family got their >> name which is a huge mistake. My husband asked me after why I didn't ask >> the >> meaning of that name. I must have been looking at a photo album. He >> figured >> if I didn't find it important anough to ask he didn't need too. >> By the way that part of Donegal is where there are many Doherty >> family's. >> Maybe its a local custom? >> Cheryl >> >> ---- Original message ---- >> >Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:00:13 -0700 >> >From: mamiddle-request@rootsweb.com >> > >> > >> >> >> >> I know this kind of list can go on-and-on, but does anyone have a >> > >> >Does anyone know about the "irish family" nicknames.? Someone told me >> that >> >for example Doherty being such a very common name in Ireland, they gave >> >family nicknames to keep them seperate. How did they (or did the family >> >themselves) decide on the name? >> >Has anyone ever heard of "White" being one of those nicknames ? >> > >> >bn >> > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MAMIDDLE-request@rootsweb.com with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject > and the body of the email with no additional text. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > MAMIDDLE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi Sue, You just jogged my memory of what happened in Canada in the mid-1800's. My ancestor, Robert KERR, was born in the Prov. of Quebec in 1827. After he married, he and his wife left Argenteuil County and moved a little more south to Compton County. There they found other KERR families, including another, Robert KERR. So, these "Irishmen" were given nicknames. One was Robert "Cootherdy Bob" KERR and one was Robert "Holy Sailor Bob" KERR. (At this second I can't remember which one was my ancestor. And they both had a HENDERSON wife, so we think they were somehow related. But, no one can prove it.) My ancestors came from County Sligo, Ireland, and went to Canada in the 1820's. In Argenteuil County where they settled they were known as "Irish." (It was a KERR / HENDERSON family-group of 5 couples who had many children in Canada.) Betty (near Lowell, MA) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sue Richart" <srichart4@gmail.com> To: <mamiddle@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 12:43 PM Subject: Re: [MAMiddle] Irish family nicknames > You'll notice some of these referenced when you look through the Revised > Valuations (lease tax records). Seems like everyone had the same name, so > they got a nickname that everyone knew them by. The record will show the > real name and then the nickname after it. > > Sue > > On Tue, Jan 12, 2010 at 9:37 AM, wrote: >