Sunday, March 8, 2020

Happening SOON: Scottish Clans and Castles

Are you of Scottish or Irish descent or interested in Scotland and Ireland?

If so we have a program for you on Saturday, March 14, 2020. Come hear Dr. Loarn Robertson, a native of Scotland, give a program entitled “Scottish Clans and Castles." He will discuss histories, families, castles and genealogical information. Dr. Robertson came to attend the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana. He now lives in Savoy, Illinois.

This program will be at the Crescent City Community Center, 103 Main St, Crescent City, Illinois. Coffee at 8:30 a.m. Program begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. A light lunch is included, and the day ends at 3:00 p.m.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The cost includes a light lunch. Seating is limited so reservations are suggested.

Payment can be made by PayPal on our website https://iroquoiscountygenealogy.org/ or by sending a check to 103 W. Cherry St., Watseka 60970. If you are sending a check, please call ahead so we can add you to our guest list.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Naming Patterns, not what you thought

When I saw the title of this Vita Brevis blog post--

Naming patterns by Zachary Garceau,

it brought to mind the naming patterns Irish, Scottish and Scots-Irish parents used for their descendants in my family lines. Yours, too? It is a tradition that sometimes makes it difficult to determine which Samuel McCullough belongs to the record I found, or if he is even one of the Samuel McCulloughs in my tree.

However, this informative article explains how our ancestors named their new settlements as they moved around from state to state. Maybe because they weren't creative, or because they wanted to pay homage to the place they just left, or they wanted to make a better "Albany" than the one they left behind.

It's not that I don't know there are towns/cities with the same names. I had family who lived in Nashville, Illinois. Now I'm supposing did this little town have early settlers who hailed from Nashville, Tennessee?

It's just that I have never thought of checking to see if this tradition would help follow someone around as the country grew.

Maybe some of you have a brick wall that needs a new strategy. Give this one a try.

Vita Brevis is a blog of the New England Historic Genealogical Society from AmericanAncestors.org.