Home of R. H. Hodgson in Chester County, Pa

Robert Hodgson was my ancestor. However, I'm not yet sure if this is my direct ancestor, or someone more distantly related.

A Hair's Breadth Away

I've been quite obsessed with genealogy the last couple of weeks. Well honestly, the last couple of years! But the last couple of weeks it's ALL I want to be doing.

That happens when I make a find or develop a theory. I have a couple and so I have more than enough work to do. I believe I've found the city in France my Dellitt ancestors may come from.

I still need to be able to prove it though --  that's one 'hair's breadth away'.

Really when I chose that title though I was thinking of the Lockhart line I've been researching. I've had a theory for a couple of years now about who Major Robert Lockhart's brothers were and because of people mentioned in 2 wills I've been working to prove the relationship. I suppose you could go off of just what I have in the one will of his brother (if I'm right) Josiah Lockhart of Lancaster, Pa. But I would like something more, because there were SO many Robert Lockharts in that area at that time and of the right age. I've found a connection through the Denny line of Robert's wife Margery Denny to the same surname mentioned in the wills I've found, so I suppose I'm related at least through her. But I'm positive (just want that extra bit of security) that I've got the right line.

And that's why I say a hair's breadth. Because I have him recorded in a census. Now I just have to establish that it's not someone else, but is my Robert Lockhart.

I'll let you know when I do. And that's the only reason I haven't put the surnames here. I want to be able to easily say 'yes, this is definitely my line. and here's why.' Not "yes, I'm pretty sure, positive this is my line, I just still need another piece of evidence."

What Goes Well With Branwen?

I love coming up with first and middle name combinations. Branwen is one of my all-time favorite names. But I find it hard to pair her with just the right name. Here are some attempts:

Branwen Abby
Branwen Aurelie
Branwen Edith
Branwen Eurydice
Branwen Jeannie

Faith Branwen
Edith Branwen
Ida Branwen
Lilia Branwen
Nicola Branwen

September 28th, 2013

 I've worked on this a little more. I think, for now anyway, I'm going with Branwen Patience. Patience is another name I love, love, love.

Some other names I am really loving today:

Katherine Iseult
Elizabeth Camilla
Liessa Elowen
Bridget Calliope
Phoebe Gwenllian
Rebecca Ann
Priscilla Jane
Sarai Elaina
Adela Temperance
Dacia Frances
Nadia Eilonwy
Emmeline Ingrid
Grace Cassiopeia
and last but not least
Maia Angharad

And a parting thought on Branwen. I'm having a hard time remaining committed to Branwen Patience. I looked at the list above again and thought Nicola Branwen looked so wonderful. Hmm. We'll see.

1 syllable Names

Ann
Ayn
Bay
Bess
Beth
Bette
Blair
Brekke
Brett
Brooke
Cam
Cass
Dale
Day
Elle
Eire
Em
Eve
Fay
Gaye
Gem
Jan
Jane
Jay
Jean
Jen
Jet
Jo
Joan
June
Kat
Kate
Kay
Kit
Lane
Leigh
Liv
Lou
Lynn
Madge
Maeve
Mags
May
Meg
Midge
Moon
Moss
Nan
Nat
Nell
Neve
Noor
Pam
Pat
Pearl
Peg
Pet
Rae
Rain
Rose
Rue
Ruth
Skye
Soon
Sue
Suk
Tess
Ti
True
Truth
Val
Vale
Viv
Ya
Zee

Abe
Al
Ames
Ang
Ashe
Beau (or Bo)
Ben
Bert
Blaine
Blair
Blaise
Bob
Bram
Bran
Brandt
Brent
Brett
Brock
Brook
Brooks
Burke
Burl
Cab
Cal
Cam
Charles
Chance
Chase
Chet
Chuck
Dale
Dan
Dane
Dar
Dave
Dick
Dodge
Dwight
Ed
Fields
Fitz
Ford
Frank
Franz
Fred
Fritz
Gad
Gage
Gray
Guy
Hal
Han
Hank
Hans
Hayes
Hugh
Ike
Jack
Jake
Jan (pronounced "yawn", Scandinavian)
Jarl (pronounced 'yarl', Scandinavian)
Jay
Jed
Jens
Jet
Jim
Jin
Joe
Joel
John
Kale
Kay
Kev
Kit
Lance
Lane
Lars
Lee
Les
Lex
Lorne
Lot
Lou
Lynn
Mack
Mance
Mark
Matt
Max
Mel
Mick
Mike
Miles
Mitch
Nat
Nate
Ned
Nels
Nick
Oak
Oakes
Oh
Oz
Pan
Pat
Paul
Pete
Phil
Rance
Rand
Ray
Reid
Rich
Rick
Rob
Rock
Rod
Roy
Royce
Russ
Sam
Saul
Shaq
Shem
Sky
Steve
Stig
Sven
Tad
Ted
Thad
Thayne
Thor
Thorne
Tig
Tim
Tom
Trent
Trey
Troy
Vance
Vaughan
Vick
Vince
Wade
Walt
Wayne
Wes
Will
Yul
Yves
Zach
Zan
Zane
Zeb
Zed
Zeke

Every Name There Is - B

Here are the girl B names:

Babette

Babs

Bailey

Bambi

Barb

Barbara

Barbarella

Barbarelle

Barbaretta

Barbarette

Barbie

Basia

Bay

Bayard

Beatrice

Beatrisa

Beatrix

Beatriz

Beautiful

Becky

Bedinger

Belen

Bella

Belladonna

Belle

Belphoebe

Benin

Berengaria

Berenice

Beret

Berlin

Bernarda

Bernarde

Bernadetta

Bernadette

Bernadina

Bernadine

Bernardina

Bernardine

Bernardita

Bernestine

Bernetta

Bernie

Bernice

Bernina

Bernine

Berta

Berte

Berthe

Bertha

Bertille

Bertina

Bertine

Beryl

Bess

Bessie

Beth

Bethan

Bethaney

Bethel

Bethia

Bethlehem

Bethzabeth

Betsy

Bettany

Bette

Bettina
Bettine

Betty

Beulah

Bev

Beverly

Bianca

Bienvenida

Bindi

Bitsy

Blakeley

Blanca

Blanche

Blanchefleur

Bliss

Blodwen

Blossom

Bluebell

Blythe

Bo

Bobbetta

Bobette

Bonneville

Bonnie

Boston

Bountiful

Brandilyn

Branwen

Brantley

Breeanne

Brenda

Brendalyn

Brenna

Briallen

Brianda

Bridget

Brietta

Brigida

Brigitta

Brigitte

Briony

Brisa

Brita

Britta

Brittan

Brittanica

Brittney

Bronislava

Bronislawa

Bronwen

Brooke

Brookeleigh

Brooklyn

Brynley

Brynn

Brynna

Buffy

Bunny

And the Boy B Names:

Baldric

Baldwin

Balfour

Bannon

Barclay

Barnabas

Barnaby

Barney

Baron

Barrabas

Barrett

Barry

Bart

Barthelemy

Bartholomew

Bartolo

Barton

Bartley

Bastian

Baxter

Beauregard

Bede

Bedivere

Ben

Benedict

Benjamin

Bennett

Benny

Beowulf

Bernard

Bernie

Bert

Bertrand

Bev

Beverley

Birch

Bjorn

Blaise

Blake

Bo

Boyd

Brad

Bradley

Bram

Brandt

Branwell

Braulio

Brent

Brett

Brian

Brice

Britton

Broderick

Brody

Brooks

Bruce

Bryant

Bryson

Buck

Burke

Burnell

Burton

Byron 

If you know of any I've forgotten, please suggest it in the comments!

ABCs

I love collecting things, and one of thing I've collected are alphabet books. I love every kind. This book - ABC Menagerie - I discovered yesterday at Thanksgiving Point. It's a bit pricey (it was $22 or $23). The pictures are of clever little stuffed animals - very unusual - to go with the rhymes for each letter (iguana for i, elephant for e). The rhymes are just so-so, the main attraction are the photos of the stuffed animals which are so creative. Better than a Dr. Seuss character. Just fabulous.

The other reason I love this book is it fits another fascination of mine - names. Each animal has a name (Brunehilde and Xavier) as well as the pronunciation of the name - which is handy as there were several even I had not heard of - and I've been collecting names for at least 30 years, rather fanatically. Some names have alternate pronunciations from those listed in the book, but still, it's a nice feature rarely found in kid's books.

It is the second name alphabet book I own. The other one is in Spanish and was written by a famous poet (but I'm forgetting if it was Rosario Ferre or Rosario Castellanos - and it's buried in a box somewhere). I can't even tell you the name because it escapes me. The pictures for that book are nice enough, but that is not the main attraction. The rhymes are SO much fun, it is a great book from that angle. Also because it's an older book, published in the 1970s I believe, the names are even older. They're Spanish and they're more old-fashioned Spanish. How many of you who have not grown up in a Spanish-speaking environment know which Spanish names are now considered old-fashioned? Not me in any case.

But still. What a treat to be browsing in a store yesterday, when that was not my original plan for the day, not a bookstore, and to discover this book. I really enjoyed it and wished I had money.

But I'm glad I've developed some self-control.

The Spanish name alphabet book? Maybe 25 cents at a yard sale. If I had to pick one to save from a fire? The 25 cent book which is probably out of print.

A fun counting rhyme

I took this from a book from the 1800s I came across on google books. "Games and Songs of American Children". Even though it was published in 1890 some of the people that were the sources of the various rhymes were quite old at the time, around 90, so they do reflect some old rhymes and games.

This is a counting rhyme:

Intery, mintory, cutery corn,
Appleseed and apple-thorn;
Wire, briar, limber lock,
Five mice in a flock;
Catch him Jack,
Hold him Tom,
Blow the bellows,
Old man out.

This is for the kind of counting children do when choosing who will go first - rather than eeny meeny miney moe, for instance, or Bubble gum, bubble gum.

And the interesting thing is how many variations of these rhymes they have in the book, with explanations. It would seem it is related to number words from the British Isles. Eeny and meeny being similar to 'intery' and 'mintery', and eeny meeny likewise similar to the counting words from Ireland "eina" and "mina".

I believe that's how it works. Just as Fee Fie Foe Fum were also counting words