Hello Scott: Could it be a tee-name. Tee-names are bestowed on families with common names to distinguish the different families. The following article is an excellent description of why they were used and how they were carried on in the family. http://ca.geocities.com/taylorhomeca/teenames.html Regards, Louise **************************************************************************** *************************************** -----Original Message----- From: Scott Matthews [mailto:scottmm@squirrel.com.au] Sent: April 24, 2005 8:57 PM To: MORAY-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [MORAY] Mort; Gardener. Good morning everyone, In searching an Elgin Film (990799) recently, I becames just a little confused with the use of the word "Mort". The time span was about the 1730s and the word was cosistently used after the father's name in baptism records. As it was used more than once for the sames father, it could not have referred to him being dead. It was like a occupation or address. It has intrigued me. My forbears, in Moray, from about 1750 and well into the 1800s were regularily listed as Gardeners. I would be interested in knowing what the full scope of such an occupation would have been in those times in Moray. Regards Scott Matthews (Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia) ==== MORAY Mailing List ==== MORAY OPR's. The OPR's for the Moray area are now starting to be transcribed and volunteers are needed. Would anyone interested in transcribing the OPR's for our area please contact me via my usual email address or visit the Moray Rootsweb pages and contact me via the mailing list Admin. ============================== Jumpstart your genealogy with OneWorldTree. Search not only for ancestors, but entire generations. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13972/rd.ashx