Ancestry/Genealogy

Spider Jerusalem

(21,786 posts)

10. The adoption of the surname of a relative to get an inheritance, possibly

Thu Feb 7, 2013, 02:42 AM

Feb 2013

or because of a prominent relative of that name--see for instance the children of one Morgan Williams and his wife Catherine Cromwell, sister of Thomas Cromwell, minister to Henry VIII; they became known as "Williams alias Cromwell" and in later generations just "Cromwell". Also possibly because of association with a village or manor of that name (which, in the case of the gentry, which is the social class we're dealing with, is frequently where a surname would come from in the first place).

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question: why would a surname totally change in the middle of a long line? [View all] grasswire Feb 2013 OP

I don't know all reaons, but slavery and immigration are two. nt ZombieHorde Feb 2013 #1

From what I know Hayabusa Feb 2013 #2

Hapsburg to Windsor. TheMadMonk Feb 2013 #3

yes, this all is interesting grasswire Feb 2013 #4

Ah, the other direction socioeconomically. TheMadMonk Feb 2013 #5

Look into historical tension of the era in which the name changes. sybylla Mar 2013 #12

Weird, isn't it... pipi_k Feb 2013 #6

Not sure but I heard a great story from a friend. Her ancestor was coming in from Ireland and had jwirr Feb 2013 #7

For one thing, spelling means nothing HeiressofBickworth Feb 2013 #8

Something like that happened pipi_k Feb 2013 #9

The adoption of the surname of a relative to get an inheritance, possibly Spider Jerusalem Feb 2013 #10

My first thought is that SheilaT Feb 2013 #11

It doesn't seem like the 1400's was a very nice century to be alive. PADemD Jul 2013 #13