Hello Fellow Researchers, I am new to this list so please forgive me if my questions are redundant. I have an ancestor, Hiram LAFFERTY who was born 1736 in Dublin, Ireland. There is, of course, no mention of his wifes name. However he had three male children, no mention of females. Names were: William Lafferty b. abt.1760, Dublin STEEL Lafferty b. ??? Todd Lafferty b. ??? William (mentioned above) immigrated to Baltimore, Maryland, 1810. Entered military service 1/08/1815 and fought in the Battle of New Orleans. His wife is, of course, not mentioned. He had 14 children and his first born son, was named STEEL. They settled in W.V. This name, STEEL, keeps occurring in every generation until just recently. I've been told that STEEL is a royal name and naming sons after the mothers maiden name was her only way to make sure her descendants knew who and where they came from. I do have some census stating this name was in Ireland in and before 1736 and in the general vicinity of Dublin. Does anyone have anything on this? Thank you so much for your time, Frances West