Old Naming Patterns

The following naming pattern was once a common practice. Though not an invariable tradition, it often gives a clue regarding the names of grandparents whose names are sometimes elusive in genealogical research:

The first son was named after the father’s father

The second son was named after the mother’s father

The third son was named after the father.

The fourth son was named after the father’s eldest brother.

The first daughter was named after the mother’s mother

The second daughter was named after the father’s mother

The third daughter was named after the mother

The fourth daughter was named after the mother’s eldest sister.

Before 1910, no birth or death certificates were issued in North Carolina. What records escaped fire, war, storms and the emergence of new counties were augmented by family Bibles and word of mouth. As there were relatively few families living on the Outer Banks in the mid to late 1600s and the early 1700s, many of the bloodlines crossed and re-crossed, mingling in the early days with the native Algonqouin population. Thus, beyond the first few generations, relationships became increasingly convoluted.
(author) Dixie Browning