Coincidence? It’s all in the name…

Having attended hundreds of events showcasing Hall of Names products over the years, I never cease to be amazed by the number of coincidences we come across when delving into the origins of surnames.

For example, the name ‘Starr’, I found that it could denote someone who has a patch of white hair – as indeed this particular customer had!

Another name mentions a small birthmark on the stomach which was considered the mark of a witch. The customer pulled up her top which showed a birthmark on her stomach!

Every day, we come across stories like this but none so unusual as when we were recently exhibiting at ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ Live exhibition. Throughout the course of the day, we talk to hundreds of people, giving them information about their surname and printing the details off for them to take home.

A ‘Froggett’ surname history had been printed and was in the process of being packaged for the customer, Patricia Newton, whose grandfather bore the Froggett name. In ten years of trading we have only sold three histories of this particular name, as it is relatively uncommon. What a surprise therefore when another lady, Kylie Barnes, walked past and said, ‘oh what a coincidence, that’s my maiden name’.

Pat and Kylie began talking and they realised that they were in fact related! Lots of paperwork came out, photographs of their shared ancestors were shown to one another and they worked out that they have the same great-grandparents.

Pat said ‘when you have been tracing family history for a number of years and do not expect to see anybody that relates to the same surname, it is a bit overwhelming. As you can guess I went back to Manchester with my head in the clouds!’

They had in fact discovered the same areas and names in their respective family trees, but hadn’t discovered each other. Kylie said ‘to my shock, she [Pat] was mentioning names that I had in my tree…..she’s helped me fill in some gaps that I’ve been looking to fill for years’.

Those of us on the Hall of Names stand were astonished and delighted that such an unlikely coincidence had helped to unite some family members who didn’t know of each other’s existence.

I am pleased so say that Pat and Kylie are now keeping in touch and am proud that Hall of Names has played its part in this family’s quest to discover more about their roots.