My grandfather McQuay grew up as one of six sons, although there was another who sadly died aged 12 days. My great-grandfather was also one of six children, exceptionally in that family there was one girl amongst the boys. Another generation back and there were six sons there too, as far as I can tell.
A question which has stared at me ever since I can remember is: How many descendants are there in my generation who carry on the name? Or as the years have passed: How many descendants are there in the next generation who have the surname McQuay?
If each of my great-great-great-grandfather's six sons had six sons of their own and so on then I think the answer would be 46,656 descendants in the latest generation. That's rather a large and unrealistic number!
We know that over the years there were deaths in infancy, some who reached adulthood but died without marrying, or who did have a spouse but no children, including those who died in wartime. Not forgetting the obvious situation in which a daughter may become a wife and pass on their own genes but their husband's surname. Also possible are remarriages after bereavement which create step-families and adoptions, so there can be informal or formal name changes, for this or other reasons.
The only way to arrive at an answer to my question would involve tracing every child in every family then counting up the names in the youngest generation. Well there's a challenge! At the time of writing I've filled up as many branches as I can, although there are a few apparent dead-ends which may yet yield. Right now, in the youngest generation in my tree, the number of descendants who have the surname McQuay is 12, yes twelve!
I am interested in tracing modern day distant relatives for many reasons, not just idle curiosity. I live in hope that someone I discover now could have stories, photos, certificates, etc which have been handed down to them and could shed more light on our shared heritage. That may just as easily be a descendant who has a different surname so all of the branches are equally important. And maybe there will be enough mutual interest to call for a Meet Your Cousin reunion party!