Trying to understand given nane

[StuartC]

I have several ancestors (five in all) with the name David Robertson Collie, all born in Edinburgh with dates ranging from 1802 to 1910

I am at a loss to know where the "Robertson" given name comes from. I understand the naming protocol of passing down surnames as given names, however I cannot find any ancestors with the surname "Robertson" in my searches.

In fact the first David Robertson Collie (b 1802) that I find was the ninth child of John Collie and Janet More (Moir?) which seems quite odd as there was a previous son named William b 1787 with no "Robertson" given name. None of the daughters have "Robertson" in their names either

All the subsequent David Robertson Collies are the first sons from the marriage, and seems a natural occurance for those times

Any one got any ideas or point me in a direction ???

Regards
StuartC

[AnneM]

Hi Stuart

Perhaps David Robertson was a family friend or the minister or someone like that. I found in my family tree an Agnes Ellis Shedden and could not work out where the name came from until I looked at the census and found that Agnes Ellis was the owner of the houses, one of which my ancestor rented. An unkind friend suggested that they were possibly behind with the rent!!

Maybe the David Robertson was in better circumstances than your ancestors and they hoped he might do something in later life for his namesake.

Anne

[killearnan]

I'd first look at the minister of the parish. That's one good possibility.

Another is an in-law - I have a couple cases where a name pops into the family tree from a sister's husband or the like. I really puzzled over one until I realized that the sister had remarried in an adjoining parish a couple weeks before the baby with the brother-in-law's name was born - I hadn't made the connection that the bride was the sister listed by her first husband's name in the index to the register although her maiden name was in the actual record. But is did help confirm the relationship, especially given the common names involved.......my tree is just littered with Jamiesons, Patersons, and Browns......

Also, if you don't yet have all the grandmothers'/greatgrandmothers' (and stepgrandmother and so on......) maiden names, it could still be lurking in a previous generation.

[Morag]

I have an ancester who was named after his father's boss ! I did lots of research hoping to find the origin of the name , only later to discover that the man was the manager of the iron works - so it is not always a family name !

Morag

[winslowsmom]

There was a famouse golf caddie and ball maker named David Robertson. It would be fun if your David Robertson Collie were named after him!

(from George White, http://www.thegolfchannel.com/30310/6935/)

History of Golf - The First Heroes

When you spoke the word ‘professional’ in the early 1800s, you were referring to a professional caddie. The caddies were the only group that made a living from the game. They carried the clubs, certainly, but in 1800 they did so much more. In Robert Browning’s book “A History of Golf” he describes the early caddie as “his patron’s guide, philosopher, and his friend, his instructor when he was off his game, and co-arbiter with the opposition caddie in all disputes.”

Caddies were, in short, usually the best players. The best known in the early 1800s was David Robertson of St. Andrews. He was known as a “senior caddie, ” whose duties were primarily to carry for the captain of St. Andrews on important occasions.

Robertson was the last of the senior caddies. His son, Allan Robertson, was also a caddie as a youth, but he emerged as the first great professional player.

The Robertsons were also ball-makers, carefully stuffing feathers into leather spheroids. But Allan was an exceptional golfer. In a series of famous matches watched by one of Scotland’s largest sporting crowds of the 19th century, he teamed with his assistant, Tom (Old Tom) Morris, to play the Dunn brothers, Willie and Jamie of Musselburgh.

Allan Robertson was born in St. Andrews in the year 1815. Allan’s father David was a skilled caddie and ball maker, and at one time had been the sole agent for McEwan golf clubs in St. Andrews. In fact, the Robertson family had been making golf balls in St. Andrews since the first half of the 18th century; a skill in which Allan and his family had developed an excellent reputation.The firm even employed Tom Morris as a ball maker for several years prior to Old Tom moving to Prestwick.

[winslowsmom]

Also, you may have already noticed this, but on the 1841 census, your David Robertson Collie is a printer in St. Cuthberts.
7 or 8 doors down there is a Thomas Robertson family.
Thomas is a sawyer, but 3 of his sons are printer's apprentices.
None of them are a David. But they might be worth keeping an eye on.

Happy searching
Cathy Hatfield

[StuartC]

Thanks to all who have given me some responses.

All are very helpful and have merit as a possible answer.

I did know that the first David Robertson Collie was a printer, as were all of the other DR Collies, and have quite a bit of info on them.

The 1841 census with Thomas Robertson maybe a little late in the naming process for the first DR Collie b 1802. However there could be a family connection prior to 1800.

Getting into the depths of Old Parish Records further back than 1800 is a daunting task, however they may throw out some clues.

Any other ideas will be most welcome

Regards
StuartC

[lizanne]

It is not aways a family connection .
I have a distant rellie who was named William Webster Gillan. I had no idea where the Webster came from for years. Only when I was doing some research on the village did I notice that the minister at the time was a William Webster.
My grandmother was named * Peters Gillan to this day I have no idea where the Peters came from , her siblings were all named * Burnett Gillan , Burnett being the grandmothers maiden name.
Good luck with your search. It's the little mysteries like this that keep us all addicted.

[JulieAK]

In my family it was a step grandparent that turned out to be the source of middle name.

It was hard to track in that pre 1841 census period. I knew my ancestor's parents but he born 1820s and I assumed his parents died before statutory records in 1855. But I eventually found his father had moved to another county, married a 2nd wife, then moved to Wales. And that 2nd wife's surname was handed down throughout the family - she must have been a special woman to be remembered in so many distant lines, some that weren't even biological.

The month she died in Wales, was the month my ancestor's child was born and named after her.

[Ina]

It could also be a Godparent. I am Godmother to a child who has my maiden name as her middle name.

Regards,

Ina