Its also an Italian custom, married women used the maiden names. As for naming patterns; the first son the father's father etc etc is called the Irish naming Pattern on irish lists; the German Naming pattern on Germany lists etc. I think it was a standard naming pattern for most groups. I find middles names were used to distinguish between fathers and sons with the same name. An example: Hugh Moore Pattison son: Hugh Edward Pattison. Hugh Edward in fact used Edward though baptised Hugh Edward. On Dec 2, 2005, at 7:41 AM, Linda Merle wrote: > Hi Joyce, this is a Scottish custom. > > Linda Merle > ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- > From: "Joyce Hamilton" <jhamilton4@earthlink.net> > Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2005 22:55:11 -0800 > >> A few years ago, I visited the center and hill cemeteries in >> Blandford, >> Massachusetts (one of the early New England Scotch-Irish towns). Many >> of the >> tombstones there list the women under their maiden names. For >> example, "John >> Hamilton 1755 - 1846 His Wife Ruth Ferguson 1763 - 1848". >> >> I was told that it was customary for a woman to use her own family >> name >> until her husband died. Then she became "the Widow [husband's last >> name]". >> >> Was this a Scotch-Irish custom, or peculiar to Blandford? I've never >> noticed it in an English cemetery. >> >> Joyce Hamilton >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > Sent via the WebMail system at mail.fea.net > > > > > > ____________________________________ "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it." - Mark Twain