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!
Saturday, 29 December 2018
Tuesday, 25 December 2018
Christmas
Births occur on every day.
Marriages are solemnised on a chosen day.
Deaths are somewhat seasonal.
For the people in my family tree file whose actual dates I have on record, there are no births on 25 December in any year, and no deaths, but four marriages. Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of of Jesus Christ, whom Christians believe is the Son of God. Apparently, weddings on Christmas Day were not uncommon in the past - it seems the date was a practical choice. During the 18th and 19th centuries Christmas Day and the following day, called Boxing Day, were often the only days of the year that a young working class couple were sure to get time off work. (Although in Scotland Christmas Day was not a public holiday until 1958). In the 1800s, most people worked six days a week and would not get paid when they did not work.
See "Here's Why There Used to be So Many Christmas Day Weddings", a Findmypast blog article.
Happy Anniversary, if it applies to you.
Merry Christmas, which is for everyone.
"Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." Luke chapter 2, verse 11.
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6.
Marriages are solemnised on a chosen day.
Deaths are somewhat seasonal.
For the people in my family tree file whose actual dates I have on record, there are no births on 25 December in any year, and no deaths, but four marriages. Christmas is celebrated to remember the birth of of Jesus Christ, whom Christians believe is the Son of God. Apparently, weddings on Christmas Day were not uncommon in the past - it seems the date was a practical choice. During the 18th and 19th centuries Christmas Day and the following day, called Boxing Day, were often the only days of the year that a young working class couple were sure to get time off work. (Although in Scotland Christmas Day was not a public holiday until 1958). In the 1800s, most people worked six days a week and would not get paid when they did not work.
See "Here's Why There Used to be So Many Christmas Day Weddings", a Findmypast blog article.
Happy Anniversary, if it applies to you.
Merry Christmas, which is for everyone.
"Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." Luke chapter 2, verse 11.
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6.
Friday, 21 December 2018
McQuay name variants
The vast majority of records relating to my ancestors have the same spelling of the surname as I have inherited: M, c, capital Q, u, a, y. When handwritten, the letter 'c' was traditionally raised up to the top of the capital 'M' and the cursive script produced a curly letter 'Q' - features which are unfamiliar in most modern fonts and documents of the digital age.
As we have seen from some of the records relating to my own great-grandfather, there have been instances of Maquay being written with a letter 'a' instead of a the letter 'c'. I have also seen lower case letter 'q' and not surprisingly 'Mac' with an extra letter 'a' in the middle of the 'Mc'.
I remember being shocked to discover that some computer search tools did not match "McQuay" and "Mc Quay". To get comprehensive results it was necessary to do additional searches with the "Mc" syllable as a separate word, then the same again with "Mac". Even now some databases have "Quay" as the surname and "Mc" as a middle name or as a two word surname that does not appear in search results for "McQuay".
When someone has read an original document and transcribed (copied) the surname they may have introduced a variation which is really an error. This can be because the original ink is very faint, or the handwriting is unclear.
The list below shows a range of the surname variations found on McQuay related records, transcriptions and indexes, so far:
McQuay Mcquay MacQuay Macquay Mc Quay Mc quay Mac Quay Mac quay
Maquay
McQueay MacQueay McQucay MacQucay
McQuaye MacQuaye
McQuary
McQua
MacGuay
Mcouay Macouay
Mcquag Maquag
Mequay
Meguay
Megnay
Marguay
Maguay
Magway
Magnay
Maqusy
McKway Mackway
McWhae MacWhae McWhac MacWhac McWhar
McWha MacWha
McWade MacWade
Quay
Stockwell (adoption)
Noblett (adoption)
Haigh (middle name and alternative surname)
As we have seen from some of the records relating to my own great-grandfather, there have been instances of Maquay being written with a letter 'a' instead of a the letter 'c'. I have also seen lower case letter 'q' and not surprisingly 'Mac' with an extra letter 'a' in the middle of the 'Mc'.
I remember being shocked to discover that some computer search tools did not match "McQuay" and "Mc Quay". To get comprehensive results it was necessary to do additional searches with the "Mc" syllable as a separate word, then the same again with "Mac". Even now some databases have "Quay" as the surname and "Mc" as a middle name or as a two word surname that does not appear in search results for "McQuay".
When someone has read an original document and transcribed (copied) the surname they may have introduced a variation which is really an error. This can be because the original ink is very faint, or the handwriting is unclear.
- Typically the letter 'c' and a round, single-storey letter 'a' can be misread for one another, or can be copied out as 'o', 'e' or even 'r'.
- Depending on the presence, or absence, and shape of a flourish below the line, the letters 'q ' or 'y ' can be mistaken for an opentail 'g'.
- If there is more of a flourish than usual at the start of the letter 'u' then it may be transcribed as 'w' or confused with a cursive 'n'.
- Or a gesture at the end of the name can be mistaken for an extra letter, such as an 'e'.
The list below shows a range of the surname variations found on McQuay related records, transcriptions and indexes, so far:
McQuay Mcquay MacQuay Macquay Mc Quay Mc quay Mac Quay Mac quay
Maquay
McQueay MacQueay McQucay MacQucay
McQuaye MacQuaye
McQuary
McQua
MacGuay
Mcouay Macouay
Mcquag Maquag
Mequay
Meguay
Megnay
Marguay
Maguay
Magway
Magnay
Maqusy
McKway Mackway
McWhae MacWhae McWhac MacWhac McWhar
McWha MacWha
McWade MacWade
Quay
Stockwell (adoption)
Noblett (adoption)
Haigh (middle name and alternative surname)
Monday, 17 December 2018
Occupation across four generations
So far we have seen my great-grandfather referred to on official records as Albert Maquay, Albert McQuay and Albert William McQuay. In fact he is listed as William McQuay on the 1901 census one week before he signs his name Albert William McQuay to register his marriage.
So when there are variations for given name, surname, or both, what clues can we use to build the case that it is the same person? It may be that there is a different name but the same address. Or perhaps you come across a very unusual name for one person which acts as a marker for that family - I can share some shining examples of wonderfully helpful names.
One more typical link between records is the occupation. Albert, his father, and grandfather have their jobs listed on census records, as well birth, marriage and death registrations for themselves and their children, although it is information included on the original documents and not visible in the name indexes.
An individual's occupation may vary over time but here we have a metal working theme which spans four generations across seventy years: Fender Maker, Machinist, Tool Maker, Toolmaker Journeyman, Engineer, Steel Turner, Turner, Iron Turner, Engineers Turner - Steel Tubes Manufacture, Iron Turner - Shipyard.
The chart below shows a thirty year period starting with the 1871 census and depicts records about Albert and his family members. We see surname variants, first name swaps and vital events which match up to explain who appears and disappears between census years.
The
occupation details can help to connect up records, piece together a
timeline and link family members, despite name variations over time. An enduring challenge that has faced me for decades is how to connect up a set of men for whom I have found no evidence of relationship although they share the same surname, location and a curious occupation.
So when there are variations for given name, surname, or both, what clues can we use to build the case that it is the same person? It may be that there is a different name but the same address. Or perhaps you come across a very unusual name for one person which acts as a marker for that family - I can share some shining examples of wonderfully helpful names.
One more typical link between records is the occupation. Albert, his father, and grandfather have their jobs listed on census records, as well birth, marriage and death registrations for themselves and their children, although it is information included on the original documents and not visible in the name indexes.
An individual's occupation may vary over time but here we have a metal working theme which spans four generations across seventy years: Fender Maker, Machinist, Tool Maker, Toolmaker Journeyman, Engineer, Steel Turner, Turner, Iron Turner, Engineers Turner - Steel Tubes Manufacture, Iron Turner - Shipyard.
The chart below shows a thirty year period starting with the 1871 census and depicts records about Albert and his family members. We see surname variants, first name swaps and vital events which match up to explain who appears and disappears between census years.
Thursday, 13 December 2018
Vital events
If you have been reading along, you will know the story so far about my great-grandfather McQuay: He is Albert, or Albert William, possibly William or William Albert sometimes, but almost certainly not Harold after all.
So on to the previous census, 1881. Well, Robert McQuay, a widower, could be found with his eldest son age 8, but no son called Albert, age 2. Instead with them was Robert's daughter age 6, his mother and brother. So where was young Albert in 1881 and where was that daughter in 1891? How recently was Robert widowed and were these family members living together permanently or short-term to help out at a difficult time? Some questions could be answered, some could not.
"Ah!" I hear you say, "Search for Albert Maquay!" Indeed, you have the answer and probably faster than I did at the time! Albert Maquay is found in 1881 as grandson in the household of William and Elizabeth Mirrish, or does that old style handwriting read Murrish, or even Nurrish? So, one grandmother is living together with her widowed son and no doubt looking after the two older children, aged 8 and 6, whilst the youngest child, aged 2, is being cared for by the other grandmother in her home a few miles away.
Now also in that household is an unmarried daughter with a different surname, Emily Taylor. Although I have not mentioned it yet, on Albert's birth certificate his mother is named as Mary Maquay, formerly Taylor. So on 1881 census night at least, Albert is with his aunt Emily, re-married grandmother and the only grandfather he ever knew, although he was not, in fact, a blood relation. Another note to add is that the death registration for Mary Louisa Maquay, wife of Robert Maquay, records that she died on 20 Apr 1879. Albert was six weeks old.
- 1879 Mar 07 - birth - Albert Maquay
- 1901 Apr 07 - marriage - Albert William McQuay
- 1871 Apr 02 - census - Albert was not yet born
- 1881 Apr 03 - census - Albert was just 2 years old
- 1891 Apr 05 - census - Albert would have been 12 years old
- 1901 Mar 31 - census - one week before Albert's wedding day!
So on to the previous census, 1881. Well, Robert McQuay, a widower, could be found with his eldest son age 8, but no son called Albert, age 2. Instead with them was Robert's daughter age 6, his mother and brother. So where was young Albert in 1881 and where was that daughter in 1891? How recently was Robert widowed and were these family members living together permanently or short-term to help out at a difficult time? Some questions could be answered, some could not.
"Ah!" I hear you say, "Search for Albert Maquay!" Indeed, you have the answer and probably faster than I did at the time! Albert Maquay is found in 1881 as grandson in the household of William and Elizabeth Mirrish, or does that old style handwriting read Murrish, or even Nurrish? So, one grandmother is living together with her widowed son and no doubt looking after the two older children, aged 8 and 6, whilst the youngest child, aged 2, is being cared for by the other grandmother in her home a few miles away.
Now also in that household is an unmarried daughter with a different surname, Emily Taylor. Although I have not mentioned it yet, on Albert's birth certificate his mother is named as Mary Maquay, formerly Taylor. So on 1881 census night at least, Albert is with his aunt Emily, re-married grandmother and the only grandfather he ever knew, although he was not, in fact, a blood relation. Another note to add is that the death registration for Mary Louisa Maquay, wife of Robert Maquay, records that she died on 20 Apr 1879. Albert was six weeks old.