The theme for 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is Popular Name. I thought I would talk about my Grandfather’s family for this topic. Here is a link for a guide to traditional Scottish naming patterns that I found helpful. The link is from Find My Past, this is a really good website for records from the UK. They have other records to but the UK is their specialty. The Kirkwood family didn’t follow these naming traditions completely but close enough so it was a big help.
So the traditional naming pattern says the first son born was named after his paternal grandfather. The George Kirkwood in the above photo is the paternal grandfather of the George Kirkwood pictured below. He was my grandfathers older brother and the first born son of Walter Kirkwood and Marion Robertson.
The second child is named after the maternal grandparent. This one threw me a little because grandma is named Janet Brewster. I did find other records where grandma was listed as Jessie. Doing a little more research I learned the names Janet and Jessie are used synonymously in Scotland. The first daughter of Walter and Marion was named Jessie Brewster Kirkwood. Technically as the first girl she should have been named after her paternal grandmother, so a few liberties were taken with the traditional naming. The middle name I found was most often the last name of the person they were named after. George did not have a middle name listed on his birth certificate, perhaps because of the redundancy, it would have been George Kirkwood Kirkwood.
Next is my grandfather John Robertson Kirkwood. As the second son he is named after his maternal grandfather John Robertson. This one is pretty straight forward and easy to see why he is named John Robertson.
The next in line is a second daughter. They went back to the paternal side of the family for this name. She was named Helen Guy Kirkwood as her dad’s mom was Helen Guy. I still have not found a death certificate for Helen, she remains a mystery for me.
The third son is usually named after his father. No exception was made here he even has his father’s middle name which is also his grandmother’s maiden name. Walter Guy or Gay (I have seen it both ways) Kirkwood. You can see his place in the family in the previous picture. My parents were able to meet Walter when they took a trip to Scotland in the 1970’s.
The next child is where things seem to get a little iffy. William Robertson Kirkwood was the fourth son of Walter Guy Kirkwood and Marion Robertson. We can see where the Robertson name came into play. William is a little bit of guess work. Walter had a brother named William, so that is a possibility. Walter’s great grandfather was named William too. Marion had an Uncle named William as well, so there are lot’s of possibilities but we may never know for sure which one he was named for, maybe a combined use of this name.
The seventh child of Walter and Marion was a name I came across just recently. I was searching for a birth certificate for one of the other children I didn’t have yet and came across one for Marion Robertson Kirkwood. At first I thought it must be my great grandmother’s birth but quickly realized the dates would be wrong and her name wouldn’t have been Kirkwood at birth. I then noticed she would fit into the years between two of the brothers. So I purchased the certificate and found a sister for my grandfather who I didn’t know existed. I next found her death certificate. She died at the very young age of 1 year 4 months of croup. She was clearly named for her mother and this must have been very difficult for the whole family.
The fifth son of Walter and Marion Kirkwood gave me the most trouble when trying to find records. I knew from a letter my granduncle wrote to my cousin that Alexander had been in WWI. We also knew he had been gassed during the war and sent home at that time. I didn’t know if he died at that time or what had happened after. I did eventually find his death certificate. He was disabled because of his injury in the war and died at the age of 36. This is my grand uncle Alexander Smith Kirkwood (1892-1929) He was another one whose name didn’t fit with the pattern. He was the only one with Smith for a middle name. I did finally find his father had a sister Mary Craig Kirkwood who married Alexander Smith, so I think this must be the origin for this name.
Now we are up to the sixth son and ninth child of Walter Kirkwood and Marion Robertson. The next is James Robertson Kirkwood who died at the very young age of 8 months. We did know about James from the letters our grand uncle Walter wrote. Marion had a brother named James so it is just a guess but I would say this James was named for his uncle James. This must have been another difficult period for the family.
Last in the succession was the tenth child of Walter Kirkwood and Marion Robertson. Robert Kirkwood was the seventh son and tenth child for this couple. I have not found the death certificate for Robert. He and his family were in a house that was bombed during WWII. Robert fought in WWI and came home to marry Julia McGuire. They had a son named Donald M Kirkwood. All three were killed during the bombing of their home. I have this record from 1939 which shows Donald as being 16 and an aircraft fitters apprentice. His father, Robert, age 43 was a Tailors Manager and his mother, Julia, age 41 is listed as unpaid domestic duties. I’m not sure who Robert was named for either, he did have an uncle named Robert on his Dad’s side. He also had a great grandfather named Robert on his dad’s moms side. So it is another one we are left guessing but still the name is within the family.
Names were an important way for my ancestors to connect with their ancestors. I didn’t realize until I started my searching that my own name, Janet, is often repeated throughout my family tree. Kind of fun to have that connection to the past.
My Tree in the Forest 