On a slightly different tack, I have 4 generations of Joseph Durose, and all married a wife called Elizabeth. Very hard to sort out, especially as at times more than one generation were reproducing. In fact I only think there are four, there could only be three. it hard to get to grips with Liz > >As a matter of interest, how do you know that these men didn't want to >bother memorising a new name for a new wife? There were a lot of women >about >with a limited selection of names. Perhaps it was more a case of their >parents not bothering to be inventive when a new girl was born so creating >and perpetuating a limited selection? It certainly is a gift when a child >was given a name unique in her locality and particularly if the family then >adopted it for later generations. But the same name for subsequent wives of >the same man raises all sorts of questions the answers to which I can't see >how we can ever discover. > >Audrey > >