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| 1X2Willows... |
 Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 11:07 am |
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Guest
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Sorry to say but I have noticed over the past three decades that
especially Americans often seem to be a bit confused in this department,
about some very basic rules in the science of onomastics and, by proxy,
genealogy as well.
Lesson #1
Simply having the same surname as someone else does_not_mean
you are related to one another. This is especially true for occupational
and locational family names but also to a lesser degree for hereditary
paternal last names which refer to the first name of an ancestor. |
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| Searles O'Dubhain... |
| Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 11:07 am |
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Guest
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On Sep 20, 1:07 pm, "1X2Willows" <nos... at (no spam) least.invalid> wrote:
Quote: Sorry to say but I have noticed over the past three decades that
especially Americans often seem to be a bit confused in this department,
about some very basic rules in the science of onomastics and, by proxy,
genealogy as well.
Lesson #1
Simply having the same surname as someone else does_not_mean
you are related to one another. This is especially true for occupational
and locational family names but also to a lesser degree for hereditary
paternal last names which refer to the first name of an ancestor.
It certainly helps to have the same surname as one's father to be able
to tell who one's fraternal cousins might be. It also helps to know
the maiden name of one's mother to be able to discover additional
relatives. This works pretty well so long as one has records with
these names on them that can be tied to locations. It's not a
guarantee but it does help. Meeting one's family at reunions helps
more and also shows that the family tree has more branches than names
alone. Listening at the knee of a grandparent to stories of the family
also enriches the search for roots.
Names are very useful tools in the process of discovering one's
ancestors. They are not the only tools however (nor should they be).
My family's surname name has changed radically over the years since
about the 8th century CE. It was once a fairly common name in Ireland
and was generic enough to introduce confusion in is origins and
spelling even before becoming Anglicized. Before that, one would have
to identify with the people from certain locales and places to have a
chance of connecting to the spirits of one's ancestors. If one is in
the right place and connects to the spirit of the Land there, perhaps
one can journey further back into primal times. Otherwise, one is left
with myths and stories which are themselves calls to spirit.
Many Americans over-simplify the power of surnames to identify
ancestors but the names themselves are not without power. Calling out
the right one in a fight can still bring one aid and even victory.
Searles O'Dubhain |
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