Author Topic: How "common" is the christian name Nixon? Need help please with ages too  (Read 5971 times)

Offline Cell

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Hi,
 Could anyone tell me how common a name is the Christian name Nixon in Ireland ( Antrim) during the second half of the 1800's?

Why I'm asking this is I've found an entry for a marriage in 1889 of a Nixon Graham  at the Ulster historical foundation website( and for the same year with a separate search -  a Susan Boyd which  I know is a pretty "common name") It seems it will set me back 10 pounds to view it.

If Nixon is a pretty uncommon name, I will definitely bite the bullet and pay to view it. I'll know if it's the right one when I view it as I do have his fathers name too ( which was James Graham)  Most of the Grahams came from Ballymoney, then moved onto Ballymena at some date

I'm just beginning to trace my Irish lot, and know nothing about tracing the Irish. It has always seemed in the past a very daunting task tracing this when I'm not in Ireland or the UK.

My mum is N.Irish, and  I do have the names of my own grandparents ( who I knew), and  names of my Great grandparents etc.

 Nixon Graham and Susan (Nee Boyd) are my Great grandparents ( my grandfather's parents) . My grandfather was born around the early 1900's ( not sure of date, will have to phone my mum on that one -  I know my gran's birth date 1919 and he was quite a bit older than my gran)

 So this 1889 marriage of one Nixon Graham in Antrim looks a good possibility to me, that he may be my Grandfather's dad ,Nixon

I just really wanted to know how common a Christian name is Nixon before I fork out 10 pounds for something, when there maybe thousands and thousands of people named Nixon. It sounds an uncommon name to me, but there again I know nothing about Ireland.

Thanks :)

P.S. also if anyone wouldn't mind looking at this pic. Does this couple look as if they are in their very early 60's? Or any guesses at they age would be most welcome.

If the marriage is my Nixon, I'm guessing he should be around 21 in 1889. This photo below I think was taken in 1930, as it has a date of June 1930 written on the back ( postcard photo) and Poona India ( photo card has a Belfast studio stamp on it).
I think it was a photo they sent or were sending to their son ( my granddad) as my granddad was in the army all his life , and was always somewhere away in foreign lands. If this photo is taken in 1930 - they should be around 62 years of age ( unless they married before the age of 21 of course)
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Offline Anthony

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Re: How "common" is the christian name Nixon? Need help please with ages too
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 05 April 05 23:42 BST (UK) »
Hi. I have a Nixon Graham in my 1949 Belfast Street Directory 39 University St Belfast, hope this is of some help to you.


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Offline Christopher

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Re: How "common" is the christian name Nixon? Need help please with ages too
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 05 April 05 23:55 BST (UK) »
Hi,

I feel Nixon may be a family surname being used as a Christian name. I do not think it was a common Christian name throughout Ireland but it is possible it was a common name in the townland in which the Graham's lived. If it was not a family surname it may have been the name of the employer of Nixon's father, a local landlord or even a local minister. Wait for a few more replies. I would not like to be held responsible for giving advice which meant you were set back £10.  

Offline Cell

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Re: How "common" is the christian name Nixon? Need help please with ages too
« Reply #3 on: Wednesday 06 April 05 00:10 BST (UK) »
Thanks Christopher, not sure if I have a surname Nixon in my Grandfathers family. I know Nixon's  dad was called James Graham, but I don't know who his mum was. Maybe his  mother's  maiden name was Nixon - I don't know yet .

 Also, Susan Boyd , Nixon's wife and her family  didn't come from around the same area as Nixon apparently , and we have no clue about her family. All we know about  her family is that Susan was a catholic and from a catholic family. (Nixon was a protestant)

I have a scrap piece of paper which my mum wrote the tree down for me last year, what she can remember - no name for his mum. My grandfathers side stops at his dad Nixon Graham ( and his wife Susan Boyd, my mum can just about remember her gran Susan when she was an old woman, when my mum was a child) and Nixon's  father James Graham - which she knew  the name  "James" because James's sister Jenny married my grandmothers Great grandad - yes my  grandparents  were also second cousins besides being husband and wife   :o ;D

I have a bit of a longer line/ and a lot more info  on my grandmothers mum's side ( The McNeil's) than my grandfathers Graham  side.

thanks  :)
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Offline scotmum

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Re: How "common" is the christian name Nixon? Need help please with ages too
« Reply #4 on: Wednesday 06 April 05 00:16 BST (UK) »
Just did a look up on the LDS site for you.

They have an entry for a Nixon Graham born about 1864 in Ballymoney area who married a Susan about 1889 in Ballymoney area(no surname given - born about 1868) .  They seem to have had a son, John, born 1st October 1890 in Ballymoney area.

If your Nixon and Susan had a son John then this may help your decision as it  seems to match with your 1889 finding on UHF site.
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Offline scotmum

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Re: How "common" is the christian name Nixon? Need help please with ages too
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 06 April 05 00:30 BST (UK) »
Have just sent you a PM with some other suggestions that may be of help to you.
"Trees without roots fall over!"
 
""People who never look backward to their ancestors will never look forward to posterity." - Edmund Burke

Don't just wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain.

“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Be curious and however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.”  Stephen Hawking

In a world where you can be anything, be kind .

Offline Cell

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Re: How "common" is the christian name Nixon? Need help please with ages too
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 06 April 05 00:33 BST (UK) »
Just did a look up on the LDS site for you.

They have an entry for a Nixon Graham born about 1864 in Ballymoney area who married a Susan about 1889 in Ballymoney area(no surname given - born about 1868) .  They seem to have had a son, John, born 1st October 1890 in Ballymoney area.

If your Nixon and Susan had a son John then this may help your decision as it  seems to match with your 1889 finding on UHF site.


Hi, thanks scotsmum
I'm going to have to phone my mum and ask her for the other siblings names of my grandad  ( hard phoning with the time diff between here and the UK) . I haven't got any names  written down for my granddads siblings, only all of my gran's siblings . Although I know my grandad comes from a large family and has other siblings. My grandad's name was James ( Jim he was known by to family). My mum was born in 1940 and she rembembers Susan when she was very old - it would have had to been before my mum was 9 - my mum left Ireland at that age . so the dates are sort of fitting in , if she was born in 1868 - she would have been in her 70's when my mum knew her and that's very old to a child

 :)

P.s thanks again Scotsmum, I'll  go take a look at my pm's
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Offline Cell

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Re: How "common" is the christian name Nixon? Need help please with ages too
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 06 April 05 00:48 BST (UK) »
Hi. I have a Nixon Graham in my 1949 Belfast Street Directory 39 University St Belfast, hope this is of some help to you.


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Oops I didn't see your reply  ( I was pressing the RE on the main forum index when I saw someone had replied. so  I went  straight to the post below yours and didn't glance up the thread a bit. I thought Christopher's was the first reply after my own post) -I hope you  didn't think I was being rude. my mind is racing here with all this info.
Thank you so much for looking  Anthony, and   for that info  :)

P.S.

I'm really going to have phone my mum on this, and see if her granddad  Nixon was still alive when she left Ireland , and does she know where he lived if he was still alive in 1949 - but she was a young child in the 40's  so has limited memories for that era ( funny that photo I have also has a Belfast studio name on it too - perhaps they "Nixon" lived in Belfast later on) My granddads family  Nixon's  fathers lot ,the Grahams came from Ballymoney at some point and granddad and parents moved to Ballymena  . My mum was born and grew up  in Ballymena. But the photo I have of them, my grandad's parents  Nixon Graham and Susan ( middle name Elizabeth) Boyd  in 1930  has a Belfast studio/photographers address on it. which is " Ashleigh studios. 110 to 112 Royal Avenue Belfast"

Trouble with my mum, when she wrote down the tree she was more interested in her mum's side, and gran used to chat and chat about her family. I was always asking my mum to sit down with gran and and write everything out, no matter what  , you don't have to put it in order/tidy tree - I'll sort it out.

 My gran is dead now , so only have my mum's memories . Granddad died quite a few years ago, and was always talking about his army stories  ( I have a photo's of him all over the world in the army. He spent his life in the army, it was career), bless him  :).

when I first met my hubby, before  I took him to see my grandparents - I said for Christ's sake  (pardon the pun) don't mention the war, army etc  to my  granddad when you meet him. Hubby being hubby lol  ;D ( wicked sense of humour) of course  mentioned the war because I told him not to - hours and hours, and hours later  !! I did  take pity on him in the end  and rescue him from Granddad ( after I was killing my self laughing, and  I would not rescue him for hours)  lol ( I did warn hubby .. but no did he listen to me lol ) .
I miss  my granddad  to this day and wish I had taken more notice of  what he said about the "boring" stuff ( well,  It was boring to me when I was kid) , I was more interested in his fairytales about witches, and  children's stories he used to tell me when I was a child at the time.

Thanks again for looking that up,  it could very well be him in Belfast . Or if it turns out not be not  him in Belfast , at least I know there are two  definite Nixon's around Antrim which is a great help :)

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