County Durham ancestors.

[coombs]

I have County Durham ancestors and what I have found is there seems to be a bigger occurrence of the same names there, especially common names. Unless it is just my imagination.

I know names like Wilson, Brown and Thompson are common all over the country but in Co Durham I have found in parish registers many, many occurrences of names like Robson, Wilson, Brown, Thompson, Forster, Richardson, Hodgson, Harrison etc, and this can make me trying to find out which one is whom a big headache. I have heard that Wales has many, many Williams, Jones and Roberts and it seems Co Durham has an even bigger occurrence of common names.

[patty38]

I'm from the area and I totally agree with you, some of them are Scots/English border names  I believe.  I've struggled with some especially Richardson for years. There is also a tendency to use mothers maiden names as first or middle names in children thus keeping the name alive, this is a Scottish idea it seems and can be very useful when trying to sort out one family from another. We're a funny lot up here but it does make life interesting 

Patty

[coombs]

Glad I have someone with Durham interests who agrees. I have some Scottish ancestors who settled in Bishop Auckland.

Also a lot of the Durham records online are from BT's and only go back as far as 1765 whereas I have a 1759 baptism from Bishop Auckland (from IGI) whom I'd love to look at the originals.

I have bought credits for Durham Records online and they can be quite good as they have often transcribed the witnesses names for 1754 onwards marriages. But I think some parishes on the website are transcribed from BT's as they are just names and dates of marriage from 1754 onwards.

[patty38]

I use Durham Records quite a lot and find them very good they are constantly updating their website and send out information all the time.

Have you tried the Records Office at Durham (totally different site) I believe that is very good,
although I haven't used it myself.

My ancestors moved from Scotland (just north of Edinburgh) down through the borders and
Northumberland and stayed around the Tyne/Tees area.

It's never easy but I wish you luck with your research

Patty

[Mart 'n' Al]

Too many Adamsons, and Watson (like me).

Martin

[Creasegirl]

I have the surname blackbird in my tree in the durham area so at least that a bit unusual

[Greensleeves]

I've found the Durham Records Online really useful in researching my County Durham ancestry.  I have Thompsons in my tree, and Davies from Ireland who was a miner at Monkwearmouth, but my main lines are Sedgwick/Sidgwick from Tudhoe and Shadforth from Hartlepool.

[coombs]

I suppose it is a case of waiting for Durham records Online to release more records for the parish I am into. I went to Durham in 2010 but did not have much time to go to the RO. I suppose I could email the record office and ask for a research service. That way I could get the answers to some questions.

In 1759 my ancestor Patience Brown was baptised in Bishop Auckland (Church of St Andrew), daughter of John. No mother named.

A John Brown wed Jane Arrowsmith in 1757 in Bishop Auckland but I am not sure if it is the right parents yet. On FamilYSearch I found a 1757 marriage licence which says John was a yeoman. A Benjamin Brown was baptised in 1762 son of John and Ann and a Margaret in 1762 son of John and Jane at Auckland St Andrew. Those 2 baptism instances list the mother, maybe that was to avoid confusion as they were baptised close together.

I did find a Robert Brown wed in 1796 to Margery Oglevy and Patience Stewart was a witness, according to Records Online. A Robert Brown was baptised in Sep 1760 in Auckland St Andrew, son of John.

[coombs]

My Durham born gran moved from Co Durham to Southend Essex in about 1935 with her younger sister to work in a factory. Although their mother was a Londoner, as she had met their Co Durham born father while he was in London in the army.

Yesterday I looked at the IGI the old fashioned way, on microfiche down my local library archive centre (seeing as the new Family Search IGI has been ruined).

My Patience Brown born early 1759 (daughter of John) looks like she had a brother Robert Brown baptised 23 Sep 1760. (as a Patience Stewart witnessed Robert's wedding in 1796, and a Robert Brown was baptised the son of John Brown in 1760, all at St Andrew Auckland), On that same day, 23 Sep 1760, a John Brown was baptised, son of John Brown and the IGI says he was a child when baptised. So he may have been at least 2 or 3 years old when baptised.

In December 1757, a John Brown wed Jane Arrowsmith. Jane's dad was Clement Arrowsmith. In March 1758, a Clement Brown was baptised, son of John, at St Andrew Auckland. Unless Jane gave birth to 4 children within 2 and a half years, it could be that Patience was the daughter of another John Brown in the parish.