Genealogy, Trivia & Stuff.html

Genealogy, Trivia & Stuff

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Updated 5-14

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  • In researching individual names in your family history
    knowing the traditional English/European naming
    pattern is helpful. The following usually holds true

    1st son - named after father's father
    2nd son - named after mother's father
    3rd son - named after the father
    4th son - named after father's eldest brother
    1st daughter - named after the mother's mother
    2nd daughter - named after the father's mother
    3rd daughter - named after the mother
    4th daughter - named after the mother's oldest sister

  • Middle names are very important in working with German names
    If the father's first name was Johann, probably all of the sons
    first names will be Johann, the middle name is the distinguishing
    name among the children. Johann Heinrich, will be known as
    Heinrich or Henry

  • The surname STEWART comes from the English
    royal household's lord stewart whose main job was to
    lay wood in the fireplaces.

  • The surname CHAMBERLAIN comes from the English
    royal household's lord chamerlain, whose job it was to
    light the fires.

  • It has never been a law in the United States
    for the woman to take her husbands surname.
    It was a law in Hawaii when it was still a monarchy.
    It was common law in England.

  • Not until 400 years ago the marriage ceremony was
    considered suffieciently holy to be preformed in any church.

  • It is believed in some cultures that
    a person dies 3 times, once at the moment of death,
    second when consigned to the grave,
    and the third time when their name is said for the last time!
    It is our job to keep our ancestors from dying
    the third and final death!

  • The first people known to use surnames were the Chinese in 2852 B.C.

  • Surnames were once taken from the location where they lived
    For instance John who lived over the hill became - John Overhill.
    So names that end in -ford, -wood, -brook -well are placement names.

  • Surnames that end in the word "son", Williamson, etc,,
    are the "son of". Other countries used this also
    Armenians used -ian; Danes & Norwegians used -sen;
    Finns -nen; Greeks - poulos; Spaniard -ez; Poles -wiecz.

  • Surnames that have prefixes donating "son" are the Welsh -Ap;
    Scots & Irish -Mac; the Normans -Fitz. The name David ap John,
    meaning David son of John, became David Upjohn.
    The name John fitz Gerald means the son of Gerald
    and now would be John Fitzgerald

  • During the Middle Ages people were gradually acquiring a name to
    distiguish individuality. Places of birth or traits were used,
    St. Frances of Assisi; Lambert Le Tort, an old French poet whose name
    means 'Lambert the Twisted', but these were individual names not family names.

  • The modern hereditary use of surnames is a practice that started
    among the Venetian aristocracy in Italy about the 10th or 11th century.

  • By the 1370's the word 'surname' was found in documents, throughout
    France, the British Isles, Germany, & Spain.

  • By 1450 most people (in Europe) of any social rank had a fixed, hereditary surname.

  • By the 15th & 16th centuries family names gained popularity
    in Poland & Russia.

  • The Scandinavian Countries, bound by their
    custom of using the fathers name as a second name did not start using
    family names until the 19th century.

  • Not all people in Turkey used surnames until 1933
    when the government forced the practice on people.

  • In Ireland a surname that starts with Mac meant 'son of',
    example: MacDonald.
    If it starts with O', it meant 'grandson of', example: O'Brien.

  • The most common surname on the planet is Li, the second is Wang.

  • After the Battle of Hastings, 1066 AD, William the
    Conqueror ordered every man in Britain to select any surname.
    For awhile a man could give his sons any surname, and in the
    same family one son might be William Hunter, one Edward Farmer,
    and the other James Cook.

  • The lineage of K'ung Ch'iu or Confucius (551-479 B.C.) can be
    traced further than any other family. His GGGG Grandfather
    K'ung Chia is from the 8th century B.C. Seven of Chia's
    86th lineal descendants are still alive..

  • The female side of the family is called the DISTAFF side
    the male side is the SPEAR side. The distaff was considered a
    womans tool, and the spear a mans.

  • In England a woman with the title 'Lady" is the wife of a knight.
    A woman with the title 'Dame' has been knighted for her
    own accomplishments.

  • Wearing the color black for mourning started in ancient times.
    People painted their bodies black to keep the spirits of the dead from
    entering their bodies. Later, people just wore black clothing.

  • Names that were #1 and #2 over the years.

    1880 - Girls: Mary & Anna - Boys: John & William
    1900 - Girls: Mary & Helen - Boys: John & William
    1925 - Girls: Mary & Barbara - Boys: Robert & John
    1948 - Girls: Linda & Mary - Boys: Robert & John
    1960 - Girls: Mary & Susan - Boys: David & Michael
    1974 - Girls: Jennifer & Michelle - Boys: Michael & John
    1987 - Girls: Jessica & Jennifer - Boys: Michael & Christopher
    1995 - Girls: Jessica & Ashley - Boys: Michael & Matthew
    2002 - Girls: Emily & Madison - Boys: Jacob & Michael
    2010 - Girls: Sophia & Isabella - Boys: Aiden & Jacob
    2014 - Girls: Sophia & Emma _- Boys: Noah & Liam

    Points to Ponder!

  • A genealogist is one who chases his own tale!
  • The cheapest way to have your family tree
    traced is to run for public office.
  • People who depend on their family tree for status
    should shake it first.
  • What this country needs is more family trees that will produce
    more lumber and fewer nuts!

  • MY SURNAMES!

    Cranmer - Colorado 1880's-early 1900's
    Gastelum - Sonora, Mexico 1800's
    Gittens - Llanfyllen, Wales 1800's to Wilks-Barre, Pa late 1800's
    Goetz - Arheilgen, Germany 1800's to Cincinnati, OH
    Hummel - Hoheneck, Wurttenberg, Germany 1800's to Cincinnati, OH
    Huntington - New York to South Carolina, 1800"s
    Jackey / Yockey - Hirscthal, Germany to Ohio 1800's
    Lloyd - Llanddewi, Wales to Wilkes-Barre, Pa 1800's
    Moreno - Batuc, Sonora, Mexico to Arizona late 1800's
    Ochoa - Tubatama, Altar, Sonora, MX to Ariz in late 1800's
    Pacikova - Czechoslvokia
    Peters - Austria to Chicago late 1800's then to Czechoslovia in the 1920's
    Reicher - Hungary / Russia to America early 1900's
    Reichmann - Bad Duerkheim, Germany to Ripley Ohio 1800's
    Rena - Mexico
    Sherbecow - Russia to America early 1900's
    Wendel - Switzerland to PA late 1800's

    Trivia resources are: 14,000 Quips & Quotes by E.C.McKenzie,
    Orange Country Register, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader,
    2201 Fascinating Facts by D. Louis, The Guinness Book Of Records.
    The Book of Answers by B. Berliner, Ancestery Magazine, Parade Magazine
    The New World Book of Hummels, Saddleback Valley Trails
    by the South Orange County CA Genealogical Society


  • Please e-mail me: Lroslund@aol.com

    MY WEB PAGES:

    My Fathers side: Hummel Genealogy
    Yockey Genealogy

    My Mothers Family. Ochoa Genealogy

    My Cemetery Page:
    Black Oak Cemetery pages
    Click below to return to:
    History
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    Sue Isaac's Genealogy Fun Facts

    Here are some great genealogy links:

    Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet

    Ancestry

    Be sure a check this page out!
    Every genealogy buff should know this! Genealogy Trivia

    The Surname Web