Nick Names for Jack

[heathpete]

    I've just found out that our family nick name is "Dhu".Does anyone know what that means? Our surname is Jack.My Father was born in Avoch on the Black Isle.
                                     Thank you. Heather Jack

[Joyful]

Good Luck trying to sort that out, heathpete. I, too have Jack ancestors from Avoch and there were so many that they were given t-names/by-names or as you say 'nicknames' to distinguish the different families. I'm not familiar with the meaning of 'Dhu' but it would relate to something specific for that family ... perhaps Gaelic?

A good reference is the web site 'whatinaname' - the URL escapes me at the moment but I have contacted them and found them extremely helpful.

HTH

Joy

[Joyful]

I've just 'googled' Dhu - it means one who is dark, swarthy. It can also be used for 'black' as in 'Carrack dhu' where Carrack means rock and dhu black ... black rock.

HTH

Joy

[heathpete]

  Joy,
     Thank you for this information. It would be interesting to know what it refers to . Dad was dark haired and tall, maybe it refers to that.Thanks again. Do you know what your families nickname is?
                                              Heather

[Joyful]

In my Jack family I have variously; Muckle, Dusty and Dusty Ludovic. The T-names/by-names were not always carried on father to son, so you had the father and his family known as Donald Jack or Muckle Jack and the son, for example, Lewis Jack or Dusty Jack.

Avoch had a large population of Jack, Patience and McLeman families to name just a few and they all intermarried, marrying cousins etc. By the time you're back researching in the early 1800's it is starting to be a challenge to keep them all straight. You may be lucky and have ancestors that kept records - family bibles etc, mine didn't

Regards
Joy

[heathpete]

It's all very confusing. We don't have much to go on. I'm still trying to find out whether I'm chasing the right people as my Great Grandparents. There are so many people with the same names. I've tried contacting distant relatives that still live in Scotland but aren't having much luck with that so far. I suppose it just all takes some time.Thanks again.Heather { Sydney, Australia }

[Joyful]

Hi Heather

I'm in Wagga Wagga. If you would like to post what you have so far I could see if I could help after all, two heads are better than one - so they say

Regards
Joy

[torrygirl]

What are the names of your great grandparents - I am a descendant of the McLemans of Avoch and also have Jacks and Patience in my Family Tree.  There might be something that I can help you with.   Torrygirl

[heathpete]

   My Great Grandparents were David Jack and Annie Cowie. Annie died around 1952. David, I think, died prior to 1933. I don't know how many children they had but I do know their eldest was David. There was also a Bill, Donald and Margaret.Margaret was my Father's { Vincent Jack born 1933} mother.
    My father was raised by Annie Cowie and they lived on Factory Lane.
          That is about as much as I know so far.Thank you Torrygirl.