What is the earliest knowledge you have of your family name?

[deeky]

My mom's family had a castle in Germany back in the early 1600's. They were essentially tax collectors. That is, until some crazy monk (Luther) started running around spreading ideas like that the bible should be in a language the people actually speak. They took to following him, the local ruler didn't, and they lost their castle.

True story.

 

[Kenneth Walker]

With proper documents supporting? 1798 Great great grandfather born. Great grandfather in 1832, Grandfather 1883, and father 1924.

 

[480sparky]

I have the original land transfer from my g-g-grandfather's land near Windham, New Hampshire, to one of his daughters for a dowry. Dated 1802.

 

[Kenneth Walker]

It's interesting what can be turned up....discovered that great grandfather came to London in 1852 and joined the Metropolitan Police...I never knew he was married 3 times each wife dying from TB (a scourge in Victorian cities). A whole slew of relatives I never knew I had have been uncovered too.

 

[petrochemist]

It's interesting what can be turned up....discovered that great grandfather came to London in 1852 and joined the Metropolitan Police...I never knew he was married 3 times each wife dying from TB (a scourge in Victorian cities). A whole slew of relatives I never knew I had have been uncovered too.

It is indeed, but you have to be careful with the records.
All too often there are several people with the same name who get linked together by mistake. This can be an issue with two people alive at the same time or with the many cases of a child being named after the parent. I have one ancestor born in Kent with the exactly same name & DOB of someone born in Cheshire. Their marriages have been confused repeatedly.

My tree also has several cases where there's a John, son of John, son of John. In one of the the name John crops up again & again going back through the generations.
I've come across many on-line sources that have a person being his own uncle, or dying in infancy yet having children...
I suspect it's often down to a significant date for one being added to the wrong generation though I know I've fallen into a different trap where a person had multiple titles. Finding something like sir Roger's brother, has a brother who's Marquis of someplace, and adding the Marquis in together with their extended family. Then later finding sir Roger was the Marquis. The mess this caused eventually made me give up on my Ancestry tree.

 

[Kenneth Walker]

Petrochemist.....yes, I've been led up several garden paths, fortunately to realise my mistake reasonably early on. My real surname is rare enough to have minimised the chances of that however...and it's difficult to argue with consistent census records and certificates of birth, death and marriage.

 

[petrochemist]

Petrochemist.....yes, I've been led up several garden paths, fortunately to realise my mistake reasonably early on. My real surname is rare enough to have minimised the chances of that however...and it's difficult to argue with consistent census records and certificates of birth, death and marriage.

The blessings of an unusual surname!

My surname is also rare - AFAIK the only examples in the country are the descendants (and their spouses) of my Grandfather who moved here in 1934. Fairly easy to track with first hand knowledge

My wife's maiden name on the other hand is in the top 50 in both the country & the world!

 

[Orrin]

Mine goes back to the 1600's in Northhampton MA

Edwards Family History