What's your take on given names?

[strawberrymivvy]

On the other hand, I have a gt x 3 aunt who had an illegitimate son whom she named Octavian and I've always wondered where that came from! Nearly all the male members of my family are called William, John, Robert, Thomas and Samuel.

Was he an eighth child? I have a few Septimuses who were 7th children etc

[Colin Rowledge]

I have a many times Great-Grandfather, named William who was illegitinate. His mother was Ann Ball. His birth occurred around 1809. She had another illegitimate son, earlier than William. This son she named Nicholas.

Ann had several siblings, including 2 brothers , named William and Nicholas. I don't want to pre-judge her family's morals, but why these 2 names? This is turning out to be a very strange family. Ann was involved in 2 Quarter Sessions situations in 1821, just prior to the baptsim of William.

Any thoughts welcome

A fair amount of time has been spent on both her sons and I'm happy with results for William, but not happy with Nicholas and the mother Ann.

Once I've sorted out those 2 from my notes and files I'll come back.

In the interim, I have Nicholas convicted of Larceny in 1835 and spending 4 months at hard labour in Bodmin. After that, very little. A posibility is a census record in Illogan for Nicholas Ball with a wife Mary and 2 kids Mary and Jane. He is a Copper Miner. Then nada!!!!

[RJO1]

My Great Grandfather was named Vincent Dixon Hufton on his birth certificate, father unknown. I had been told that often in such cases the middle name was given by the registrar of the birth often indicating the surname of the father (if actually known). I know he was raised by his father and his grandmother (his fathers wife), as Dixon and not Hufton. Vincent had a brother, as far as I know he did not know about called William Evans Hufton; his father was recorded as unknown on the birth certificate too.

[stepives]

My 3xGt.Granny had 6 children with no fathers recorded in any records that I have found. None her childrens birth or marriage certs. And none mentioned in their baptisms, just their mothers names.

My 2xGranny was baptised by her Aunty, and never lived lived with her birth mother from what I have found.

3 were born in the Workhouse, and baptised by the Workhouse. Again, mothers name only.

My only real conclusion, was that my 3xGt.Granny was a 'lady of the night'. (Found her working in a Hotel in 1881-1891)

There is a possible record of a conviction for her, for 'Damaging the grass'........So that puts wierd images in my head, with obvious conclusions.

No bastardy bonds found either, but a 'pleasant' change from the usual Ag.Labs.

She eventually married in 1885, at the age of 52, to a widower. And she died at the age of 76.


Steve.

[Colin Rowledge]

My 3xGt.Granny had 6 children with no fathers recorded in any records that I have found. None her childrens birth or marriage certs. And none mentioned in their baptisms, just their mothers names.

My 2xGranny was baptised by her Aunty, and never lived lived with her birth mother from what I have found.

3 were born in the Workhouse, and baptised by the Workhouse. Again, mothers name only.

My only real conclusion, was that my 3xGt.Granny was a 'lady of the night'. (Found her working in a Hotel in 1881-1891)

There is a possible record of a conviction for her, for 'Damaging the grass'........So that puts wierd images in my head, with obvious conclusions.

No bastardy bonds found either, but a 'pleasant' change from the usual Ag.Labs.

She eventually married in 1885, at the age of 52, to a widower. And she died at the age of 76.


Steve.

And your story, which has no doubt given you many sleepless nights, is why we pursue the 'unknown'


Colin

[Heather Barford]

Hi Colin
This distant ancestor of yours unless she named her sons after her father, possibly named them after their father, they may even have the same father for all we know. Also as a compliment to the brothers she most fond of, why not name them after them? You will notice family names turn up again and again in all generations cousins, uncles, aunties, it is only with marriage a new name comes into the tree.
Poor Ann she might have been led up the garden path with promises by the children' s fathers. Was just having fun.Or it could have just been all those hormones working in a way they are meant to. No pill in those days. I am sure she was no different to most young women of her times, some were lucky some were not. You will have noticed with a lot of marriages the babies arrived very soon after the date, a lot of them even christened at the marriage. As for being involved in Quarter Sessions just type your surname or what ever relative you are researching into The Old Bailey Records for surprise, interest, and information and those were only the ones that got caught.

[Heather Barford]

Gives a whole new meaning to upstairs maid doesn't it? At least she didn't abandon her children,totally leaving them on someones doorstep. I have often wondered if they might have picked the correct doorstep as a tongue in cheek way of getting their own back. In Russia evidently the mothers kept the baby girls with them at work and the girls grew up and were educated with the daughters of the household then given a dowry and a suitable husband found. Girls who had boy babies were returned to the village with the mothers given a lump sum and married off to a local lad so no1 sons of all the pretty women probably had the same father, I suppose this was to keep them uneducated and a possible threat in the future. Looking at it from this angle it gave some young girls an opportunity in life they would never have had otherwise and the peasant genes added to the strength of the aristocracy.

[Colin Rowledge]

Poor Ann she might have been led up the garden path with promises by the children' s fathers. .

Not sure about 'being led up the garden path' -seems to me like she was more the leader than the follower

Neither Parish - the one she was baptised in, or the one she wound up living in later - wanted anything to do with her!!!!

Her parents, both dead - her siblings are a work in progress for me - and her own death have induced me to think that had her birth occurred in 1986 rather than 1786, she'd be your typical benefit scrounger.

And this is my 3X gt-grandmother!!!

Am I being harsh?

[Heather Barford]

Nothing changes really just the era we live in, some people know how to work the system to benefit themselves others dont.