-----Original Message----- From: Carlis <[email protected]> To: AdairCountyConnection <[email protected]> Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2001 8:35 AM Subject: [AdairCountyConnection] When is a Jr. not a Son? >Hi Everybody! > >This was sent to me by a friend, I am passing it to >the list. > >Carlis >-- > >FAMILY TREE FINDERS > > >When is a Jr. not a Son? > >In this day and age, when we hear someone introduced >as John Smith, Jr., we know that his father is also >John >Smith,that is he is John Smith, Sr. If we are >introduced >to the both of them, we naturally assume that they are >related. >Further we assume that they are father and son. > >In the present, such an assumption will not cause a >problem. >However, when researching your ancestry, such an >assumption may lead you down the wrong limb of the >family tree. > >Unfortunately as you get further back in research, >especially into the seventeenth and eighteenth >centuries, >you will find that an entry for a Junior or Senior >does not automatically support a familial connection. >While >there is always a chance that they are indeed related, >it is >just as possible that they are not related in any way. > >During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the >use of Junior and Senior was used to differentiate >between >two individuals of the same name and that is all. The >Senior is >usually the older of the two individuals. Junior may >also relate to the individual who came along second. > >The use or better yet misuse, of the Junior and >Senior is a perfect example of how the application of >present day >word usage can be misleading. There are other words >that >are similarly misunderstood when reading records from >these early years. > >Some of these include such words as "niece," >"nephew," and "cousin." My niece, in present day, is >the >daughter of a sibling of mine. A nephew, the son of >my sibling. >This was not always the case. In some instances the >term >niece was used to denote a female relative in general. > >According >the "A to Zax" by Barbara Jean Evans, a niece is also >an obsolete term for a granddaughter and a polite way >to >say an illegitimate daughter of a clergyman. > >The term nephew was also used to mean a grandson or >cousin. In some instances, it has also been used to >simply refer to a descendant. And the term cousin was >sometimes used when referring to a relationship by >marriage >rather than by blood. > >Are you confused yet? > >Usually these terms will be found in documents such >as wills, other probate records, perhaps in town >records. Now that you are aware of the potential >meanings as you >are working in these records, hopefully you will hold >back in >assuming relationships when you see such entries that >refer to John Smith, Jr. or "to my niece" without >having >some additional proof. > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail >http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ > >To Subscribe: [email protected] >To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: >[email protected] > > > >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > >