Author Topic: Birth lookup and name pattern question  (Read 3152 times)

Offline jmartin

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Birth lookup and name pattern question
« on: Tuesday 30 November 10 05:08 GMT (UK) »
Hi All,

I've been reluctant to pester with requests, and yet Ancestry and IGI don't turn up much for my Irish family. Would anyone mind looking up a birth for John Gaston born about 1867 in Ballymena? John married Elizabeth McCartney in 1887. His father was William Gaston, and his mother may have been a Ferguson. One family tree on Ancestry names her "Kelly" Ferguson but so far this is unverified info.

I'd also like a few pointers on Irish naming patterns, assuming that this family is following tradition as it seems to be. I understand that the first son is often named for the father's father, the 2nd son for the mother's father, etc. but what about the middle names? How does that work?

John Gaston's first son was William McKeen Gaston and his father was William Gaston. How would the McKeen fit in? His second son was Stafford Church Gaston and John's wife's father is Stafford Church McCartney. His second daughter is Jane Ferguson Gaston, and so on.

Thanks so much!
Ireland--Park, Lyons, Gaston, McCartney
Scotland--Dobson, Brodie, Sanderson, Ormiston, Easton, Moffat

Offline aghadowey

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Re: Birth lookup and name pattern question
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 30 November 10 08:35 GMT (UK) »
Ancestry has very little (almost nothing) for Irish records- it's better for tracing families after they've left Ireland and gone to U.S., Canada, etc.
Online family trees can be quite unreliable and I'm doubtful that a woman having children in 1860s Co. Antrim would have the first name of Kelly.

Civil registration index has one birth in 1860s for a John Gaston in Co.Antrim - 1865 Balymena reg. dist. vol. 11 p.150. However, according to I.G.I. (www.familysearch.org) he was born 7 June 1865 son of John Gaston and Margaret Hasty.
Possibly your John Gaston was bron before registration started in 1864.
   
Ulster-Scots naming pattern is first son after paternal grandfather, 2nd after maternal grandfather, etc. but many families didn't follow this. Middle names are trickier. Sometimes the child was given the complete name of the person (such as Stafford Church for his grandfather) but other times the first name and the middle name have no connection. Surnames that are used as middle names can come from mother's/grandmother's/etc. maiden name, local minister, doctor, teacher, landlord, etc.
Just wildly guessing here- perhaps John Gaston's mother was McKeen and Elizabeth McCartney's mother was Ferguson.

Just found in IGI a Stafford McCartney born 1 Apr.1871 Co.Antrim to Stafford McCartney and Elizabeth McDowell. Other children-
1. Mary born 13 Jan.1864 Galgorm dist., Co.Antrim (p.100 in civil register)
2. Elizabeth born 19 Feb.1865 Galgorm dist. (page 152 in civil register)
3. John  born 22 June 1867 Galgorm dist. (page 134 in civil register)
4. Mary born 1 Feb.1870 Co.Antrim
5. Martha born 1 Jan.1877 Co.Antrim
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!

Offline kingskerswell

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Re: Birth lookup and name pattern question
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 30 November 10 09:28 GMT (UK) »
Hi,
   A long shot. I have found the marriage of William Gaston to Ruth McKeige on 31 Mar 1852 in Ballymena Registrars office. I can only find one child from what looks like this couple was Mary Elizabeth Gaston and the parents are listed as William Gaston and Ruth McKEAG. The child was born in Coleraine on 19 Apr 1868. I wonder if McKeen could have been derived from McKeag/McKeige.

Regards
Stewart, Irwin, Morrison, Haslett, Murrell - Dungiven area Co. Londonderry
Browne, Barrett -Co.Armagh
Neil, Smyth _Co. Antrim

Offline gerryg1

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Re: Birth lookup and name pattern question
« Reply #3 on: Monday 15 August 11 07:29 BST (UK) »
Hi All, Just adding what I can here. John Gaston married Lizzie McCartney 12 Oct 1887 at Ballymena First Presbyterian Church, Kirkinriola, Ballymena, Antrim.  This looks like the John and Elizabeth required, the 01 census we find John and Lizzie here:
  http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Antrim/Duncairn_Ward/Marvue_Street/959137/       complete with children Statford C and Jane F.

That's fine but how can we account for the other names (Ferguson & McKeen), well this may seem like a bit of a stretch but I'll just put it out there anyway.  Also in 1887 a William James Gaston married Jane Craig (Ferguson) on 19 Nov 1987 at St Annes Church of Ireland, Shankill, Belfast. That means Jane's maiden name was Ferguson and she'd been married to a Craig as follows. Jane Ferguson married Robert Craig 29 Feb 1868 also at at St Annes. Divorced or Robert died. 

Is it plausible that John and Lizzie named their second daughter Jane Ferguson after John's brother (perhaps) William James' wife Jane Ferguson, could this even be a second wife to John's father William? 

Think that's far fetched try this, in 1852 John McKeen married Mary Ann McCrea (Ferguson) at the Belfast Civil Reg, Shankill, Belfast, as I said just putting it out there.  Seems a bit strange but we Gaston's are a strange breed.  Perhaps there's a simpler explanation that I just can't get my head around.  Regards, Gerry Gaston.
Gastion/Gaston, Montgomery, Blair, McKeown, Monaghan, Steele, Proudfoot, Thompson.


Offline jmartin

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Re: Birth lookup and name pattern question
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 16 August 11 02:18 BST (UK) »
Gerry,
Thanks for this info!! It's definitely food for thought and certainly better than anything I had to go on as I'm totally at a dead end with the Gastons.
Cheers
Ireland--Park, Lyons, Gaston, McCartney
Scotland--Dobson, Brodie, Sanderson, Ormiston, Easton, Moffat

Offline gerryg1

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Re: Birth lookup and name pattern question
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 16 August 11 09:26 BST (UK) »
Just another little bit of info I chanced upon,
William McKeen Gaston married Daisy Cairns on 9 Nov 1915 at Donegall Sq East Methodist Church, Shankill, Belfast.
Jane Ferguson Gaston married John Wesley Hartwick on 11 Feb 1919 at Newington Presbyterian Church, Shankill, Belfast.
Quite a few Elizabeth Gastons so a little hard to choose.  But while I was looking I noticed another Ferguson connection when an Elizabeth Gaston married a John Ferguson, 13 Feb 1894 in Belfast.
Regards Gerry.
Gastion/Gaston, Montgomery, Blair, McKeown, Monaghan, Steele, Proudfoot, Thompson.

Offline McKGaston

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Re: Birth lookup and name pattern question
« Reply #6 on: Saturday 28 April 12 08:55 BST (UK) »
Hi  J Martin (Jane Ferguson Gaston)
We are related.  I am the grandaughter of William McKeen Gaston,  I hope you are still on rootschat.  I was looking for info on my grandfather, as he was the chaffeur for Ivan Heines at Harland and Wolf Ship Builders. He was 24 when the Titanic was built in Belfast.   William moved his family to Ontario  Canada in 1930.    Jeanetter and Lizzie married and went to Ontario Canada in late 1920's.   Please get in touch if you get this message. Presently I am in Dublin.   Ev   

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