Week 36 (Sept. 3-9): More Than a Name - #52Ancestors

Every family has their popular names - names that appear generation after generation regardless of fashion, forming a family pattern, becoming more than just a name.  There were also fads among names - copying that of the current Monarch and their family, for example, as well as using a traditional name common amongst ancestors.

Family naming patterns were frequent in many families, although they are by no means a reliable way of predicting the names of children.  Traditionally, the first son would be named for the paternal grandfather, the second son for the maternal grandfather and the third son for the father.  For females, the first daughter would be named for the maternal grandmother, the second daughter for the paternal grandmother and the third daughter for the mother.  Providing, of course, these names were not the same.  

Then, there are the families that seemed to delight in using unusual names for their children, and those who followed popular fads.  Horatio, for example, made a brief surge in popularity after Nelson's victory at Trafalgar.  Similarly, Adolf disappeared from German communities after World War 2.

In the 1700s the top five names for each gender were :
Boys - John, William, Thomas, Richard and James
Girls - Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah and Jane

In the 1800s the top five names for each gender were :
Boys - John, William, James, George and Charles
Girls - Mary, Anna, Emma, Elizabeth and Margaret

There was also the tendency, unusual as it may seem to us today, of reusing the name of a child who had died.  In the 1700's and 1800's this occurs frequently in my family tree, with the name of a child who has died in infancy being reused for the next child of the same gender born to the family.  

This can make research quite tricky, especially when a popular name has been used by several branches of a family.  In my Irish Mulholland family, for example, four brothers all named their first son James, after their father.  One child died at 2 days old and the name was reused 18 months later.  This meant there were five children named James Mulholland, born within five years and a few miles of each other.  Sorting out which records belong with which child is quite a challenge.

Then two of them married women named Mary.

Week 35 (Aug. 27-Sept. 2): A Spot on the Map - #52Ancestors

A particular 'Spot on the Map' would be the sheep station called 'Para' on which I was born.  My father worked there as a stockman for approximately 20 years, and my mother became station cook after their marriage.

Para Homestead

My sister and I were both born during our parents last years at the station.  Just before we reached school age, our family moved to the small town of Moama, where we lived for the rest of my childhood.

Woolshed, clean and ready for shearing

I have only a few clear memories of our time at the station.  I remember the homestead beside the Darling River, the creaking verandahs and gum trees all around. Trailing my father into the old woolshed, the smell of sheep and wool overpowering.

1971 flood, from the back doors of the homestead

My family was resident at the station during the 1971 flood, an event my mother has described to me, during which the road from the homestead to the highway was cut by floodwater for several weeks, isolating us all.

Both my parents were fond of telling stories about their time on the station, which both looked back on with fondness and nostalgia.

Week 34 (Aug. 20-26): Long-lasting - #52Ancestors

Amongst my family history treasures are copies of some very old photographs.  Photos of my ancestors dating from the early days of photography are rare, and the images are surprisingly long lasting. Below are two of the older photos I have in my collection.  I only have digital copies that I have printed out, but a good digital copy is still very worth having.  

Isobelle Mary Green (nee Argent)

Isabelle Mary Green was born 1 June 1858 and dies 7 March 1936.

Sarah Jane Pike (nee Hart)

Sarah Jane Pike was born 17 August 1856 and died 3 January 1933.

I'm not sure exactly when these photos were taken - unfortunately there is no detail included on the originals or on the digital copies, but they have lasted for at least a century.

Family Tree UK Magazine September 2026

The latest issue of Family Tree UK magazine is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue : 

• Thousands of Indian First World War soldiers remembered
• Rare copy of the Declaration of Independence found at The National Archives
• Do you have a DNA connection to Ötzi the Iceman?
• Knitted wartime exhibition extended due to popularity
• English Heritage encourage us to send posctards this summer
• Marriages - Looking beyond the official record
• What did your ancestors do in War Weapons Week? 
• A practical guide to DNA Painter
• Part 4 From Home to Horizon 
• Poor Law Settlement disputes
• Recording your research effectively 
• Building confidence in DNA testing

Who Do You Think You Are Magazine September 2026

The latest issue of Who Do You Think You Are magazine is now available free online for Campaspe Library members via our subscription to Libby eMagazines.

Inside this month's issue : 

• Irish website adds 190,000 new records to its collection
• New house stories website launches
• Crowd Cymru wins archive volunteering award
• Ancestry adds Wiltshire electoral registers
• TheGenealogist releases early American records
• Clean living -  Alan Crosby explores soap's journey from taxed necessity to fragrant luxury
• Tales of the Unexpected • Family secrets come in all shapes and sizes
• What are the odds? How to use WATO
• How to set up a private tree on Ancestry 
• 6 resources to help you with unexpected results
• Tips and tricks for identifying matches with no trees 
• Researching Irish Canadians 
• My relatives were on board the RMS Lusitania 
• Secret Service Ancestors
• Caribbean Ancestry
• More great websites - Online resources you can't afford to miss

Week 33 (Aug. 13-19): Multiples - #52Ancestors

The prompt 'Multiple' bring to mind the marital history of Thomas May, my 3xGreat Grandfather.  Thomas married a total of 5 times, losing several wives in childbirth.

Thomas May was born 20 September 1762 in West Mersea, Essex and was baptised 16 October 1762 at the church of St Peter and St Paul.  He died on 27 February 1843 in West Mersea and was buried on 7 March 1843.  He outlived all 5 wives.

Wife 1 – Elizabeth Godwin
Born 1763 Thorrington, Essex
Married 27 March 1787 Thorrington, Essex
Died 25 August 1790 West Mersea, Essex
Children – Thomas, Edward

Wife 2 – Sarah Sadler
Born 1775 West Mersea, Essex
Married 1792 West Mersea, Essex
Died 7 January 1799 West Mersea, Essex
Children – Betsey (Elizabeth), Sarah, Hannah, John Tickell

Wife 3 – Henrietta Stevens
Born Unknown
Married 12 May 1801 St Mary, Lambeth, Surrey
Died 2 May 1812 West Mersea
Children – Henry John, Mary

Wife 4 – Susannah Balls Green
Born 7 June 1770 West Bergholt, Essex
Married 10 November 1818 Fordham, Essex
Died 11 February 1828 West Mersea, Essex
Children - Nil

Wife 5 – Mary Ann Pullen
Born 13 October 1791 West Mersea, Essex
Married 9 August 1829 West Mersea, Essex
Died 1838 West Mersea, Essex
Children – Edward, Sophia Mary Ann

It is his 4th wife, Susannah Green (nee Balls), where the relationships become truly convoluted.  Susannah's son Isaac (from her first husband John Green) was married to Thomas's eldest daughter Betsy (Elizabeth).  So Thomas became not only father-in-law but also step-father to Isaac, and his new wife Susannah became mother-in-law and step-mother to Betsy.

Week 32 (Aug. 6-12): Neighbors and Community - #52Ancestors

Wherever they lived, our ancestors were a part of their local community, although finding records of how they interacted with their neighbours can be sparse.  Census records are one resource for finding out about our ancestors' neighbours.

For example, below is the 1851 census for Isaac Green.

Isaac Green is a farmer, age 58, living in Fordham, Essex.  This census record tells me that his household consistes of his wife Betsy 57, son William 17, and servants Maryann Blakeley 45, Harriet Clark 30 and Betsy Woodward 17. 

If you look at the household directly beneath Isaac's in the census, you find Edmund Woodward 59, wife Rebecca Woodward 55 and mother (actually mother-in-law) Rebecca Fairclough 77.  Edmund is a labourer - and yes, he works for Isaac Green.  Isaac's servant Betsy Woodward is Edmund's eldest daughter - shown in the 1841 census - who has gone into service up in the big house.  Following through the census, Betsy Woodward stays on working for Isaac Green for decades, through the 1861, 1871 and 1881 censuses until Isaac's death in 1882.

It would be all too easy to overlook this information and simply concentrate on the main family, noting family members and occupations and overlooking all that lovely extra information about Isaac's ties to his neighborhood.