Off topic: chat

Mick Tator wrote: »

……. Reading your posts I infer that you are limiting your comments to names found in the northern part of Ireland (e.g. your reference to names found 'locally'). I cannot see that perspective adding much to a discussion on surnames that is general rather than specific.

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

I will continue to post.

It’s none of my business whether or not you post, but if your contributions are to add to the discussion It would be helpful if they were clearer. There is little point in taking offense when debating surname origins particularly when your posts lack clarity of post and specific detail.

Without detail, trying to separate Northern English, Northern Irish and Scottish ancestry is futile. Apart from seasonal and permanent population migrations between all those places, several identical surnames have completely different origins in different parts of this and those countries. In Ireland, Kelly is one name that comes to mind, the Kelly septs from UI Máine, (Connacht) Breagh (Leinster) and Cinel Eachach (Ulster) all have quite different origins. Another – common in Scotland, N. Ireland and N England – is Lamont.

Some Lamonts, particularly in N England are correct in claiming their name is Viking, derived from the medieval personal name Lagman which in turn is from the Old Norse Logmaðr.
Other Lamonts, particularly in Scotland correctly believe they descend from Anrothan O'Neill, who gave up his kingdom in Ireland and moved to Argyll.
From Anrothan's line came a man named Aodha Alainn O'Neil who had three sons:
1. Gillachrist, who had a son, Lachlan, who is the ancestors of the MacLachlans;
2. Neill, who is the ancestor of the MacNeills
3. Dunslebhe. who had two sons, Ewen, the ancestor of the MacEwens and Fearchar, who had a son named Lamond and it is from him that the Lamont family descend. He at one time was known as as 'Mac Laomain Mor Chomhail Uile' - The Great Mac Lamont of All Cowal.

Yet other Lamonts would by quite wrong to assert those origins, the being descended from a French Huguenot whose family name originated on the western side of the Ile-de-France.

Take your pick!

You have claimed to be expert in DNA so it should be very clear to you that ethnicity/origin is algorithm based, built on the geographic distribution of the surnames of those who have taken DNA tests. So what really is your point?

On this day, 95 years ago, the 1926 census was taken. I found an interesting piece in the Irish Newspaper Archives about it.

The Irish Census

The census of the Irish Free State will be taken on next Sunday, April 18. Everything possible is being done to make this, our first census, complete and accurate. The clergy in every parish have been requested to exhort their congregations to make the census a success. All teachers in primary, secondary and other day schools have been authorized to give courses of lessons on the matter this week. Heads of labour organisations, employers’ organisations, etc., have been asked for their assistance. Large numbers of farmers, industrialists, and commercial men have been requested to advise and assist their employees and others with regard to filling up the forms. In short, everything practicable is being done to make successful this special enquiry – the largest every country has to undertake. All persons who have to fill up the census forms should, before doing so, read very carefully the memorandum of instructions (printed on pink paper) which will be handed in before Sunday next by the Civic Guard together with the census form. The pattern tables shown on the pink memorandum should receive special attention as they indicate the manner in which the form should be filled in. Great care should be taken in filling up the columns headed “Personal Occupation” – column (k) and “Employment” – column (l). The census forms will be called for by the Civic Guard after Sunday, April 18, and each head of a household will facilitate matters if he will leave with a responsible person in the house the form completed and ready to be handed to the Civic Guard.

Published in The Connacht Tribune on 17th April, 1926.

Rmulvany wrote: »

Just noticing (maybe it's not new) that GedMatch have refreshed their appearance, looks a lot more modern.
Classic look is still available, I wonder what their plans are for the future?

The business owner was bought out some months ago. Apparently classic will continue to be free (for how long?); the rest will be behind a paywall and will have/has new/better tools.

mindhorn wrote: »

So is having a record of both parents the norm for the records there? I know you both doubt the accuracy of the transciption work but the one example I came across has a mother's name which corresponds to my records. I've held off on adding it to my tree for the moment as I was hoping to see the source data for this. But I presume I can take it that if it matches on my end then it's most likely okay?

Roots Ireland, like all similar services can only transcribe the details which are recorded on the original record.
If a priest only recorded a baptism with the date, perhaps vague, the child name, parents names and sponsor's names, that's all you can get
Everything else is a bonus, such as townland or street address, mother's maiden name, or any notes such as the later addition of marriage.

mindhorn wrote: »

So is having a record of both parents the norm for the records there? I know you both doubt the accuracy of the transciption work but the one example I came across has a mother's name which corresponds to my records. I've held off on adding it to my tree for the moment as I was hoping to see the source data for this. But I presume I can take it that if it matches on my end then it's most likely okay?

Depends on what the record is. If the baptism is in a Catholic church it would be better to check the registers online at https://registers.nli.ie/ - the registers on the NLI site go up the the 1880s, while the Roots transcriptions in some parishes go up to the early 1900s.



Dublin, Cork & Kerry baptisms are on Irishgenealogy.ie which may be worth checking out.

Anyone looked up WWII era British honours? My mother thinks that a relation got an MBE during WWII but I suspect it was a BEM (British Empire Medal) if even.

Quick search of the London Gazette brings up nothing in either maiden or married name but they often used full names for that type of entry and I need to re-find the birth cert to check what her middle names were!

edit: forgot her middle name is totally illegible, off to that thread... will be an OCR nightmare if its what I think it may be.

To answer the Q about a sponsor.... they tend to be close friend or family and of same age as parents such as a brother /sister. They are meant to take over the care of the child in this world should their parent(s) die so not just overview their spiritual welfare. For a firstborn, it is traditional that the witnesses to the marriage act as Godparents/sponsors.