Curses and Thieves ~ The Mehargs

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024: Week 41 (MOST)

I wonder what the most popular baby names in the 1800s were? 
    - This was my immediate thought as soon as I began thinking about this week's prompt MOST.

There was no shortage of data available online where I discovered John & Mary were the most popular throughout the 1800s.

Then I began searching our Bramble Bush for a couple whose names were John & Mary who fit for the timeframe.

I found Chris' X3 great grandparents (via his father's paternal line).

John Franklin Meharg
Birth 24 JUN 1832 • Rathfriland, Ulster, County Down, Ireland
Death 7 JUN 1909 • Norfolk, Haldimand-Norfolk Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada
&
Mary Ette (Marietta) Longstaff
Birth 22 MAY 1840 • Scarborough, York Co, Upper Canada (Ontario)
Death 4 MAR 1917 • North Walsingham, Norfolk, Ontario, Canada

Rosa Lula is Chris' X2 great grandmother

The information I found online kept quoting 1880

" the most popular name during the late 1800s, John hit its peak in 1880 with 9,655 baby boys given the name that year. It remained one of the top 10 boys’ names for a century, and ranked 28th in 2016.
...
Nearly six percent of all baby girls born during the 1880s and 1890s decades were named Mary, making it the most popular female name in the late 19th century. A whopping 14,406 baby girls were given the name in the year 1898 alone. By comparison, there were only 5,773 baby girls given the second most popular name, Anna, that year. " 1

I couldn't figure out why until I found the Galbi Think! page (linked in sources below) then I realized the 1880 date was the census date the information was collected from.

When Mary was born in 1840 there were 3233 with the second most popular, Elizabeth, there was only 1828. 

When John was born in 1840 there were 2351 with the second most popular, William, there was 1804. 

These statistics were from the United States. Likely Canada (Mary) and Ireland (John) were not much different.

According to the United States Social Security the top 10 most popular baby names of the 1800s were: 

Sourced below

Mary & John had 11 children that I have found records for. Chris has DNA matches through 4 of the children. I suspect I have not found all of their children because these 11 all lived to adulthood. It's always possible Mary & John defied all the odds of the time & didn't lose any infants or children, but this would be very surprising. Their youngest is Chris' X2 great grandmother on his father's paternal line.

Their 11 children I have found are:

Nicholas James Meharg
Birth 3 AUG 1860 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada
Death 14 OCT 1941 • Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, USA

William Edgerton (Bill) Meharg
Birth 02 FEB 1862 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada
Death 14 APR 1919 • Alpena, Alpena, Michigan, USA

Alfred Edward Meharg
Birth 14 JAN 1864 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada
Death 2 MAY 1945 • Dunbar, Marinette, Wisconsin, USA

Sarah Lavina (Sally) Meharg
Birth 31 MAR 1866 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada
Death 18 JULY 1934 • St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada

John Franklin (Jack) Meharg
Birth 22 AUG 1868 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada
Death 21 JULY 1949 • York, Ontario, Canada

David Ernest Meharg
Birth 9 MAY 1871 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada
Death 19 JUN 1919 • Comber, Ontario, Canada

Joseph Wesley (Joe) Meharg
Birth 08 AUG 1873 • Glen Meyer,  Ontario, Canada
Death 18 NOV 1930 • Alpena, Alpena, Michigan, USA

Robert George Meharg
Birth 18 AUG 1875 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada

Death 23 FEB 1954 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada

Charles Clarence (Charlie) Meharg

Birth 22 JAN 1878 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada

Death 02 AUG 1949 • Yale, St Clair, Michigan, United States

Whitfield Thomas Meharg
Birth 23 JAN 1880 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada

Death 4 APR 1958 • Tillsonburg, Oxford, Ontario, Canada

Rosa Lulu Meharg
Birth 12 JUL 1882 • Glen Meyer, Ontario, Canada
Death 23 DEC 1962 • Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada

This was the line that first gave us to wonder if the two sides of our children' Bramble Bush were going to colide.

The tale was the Mehargs were Grahams who reversed the spelling of their name after being sheep thieves and deciding to live a crime free life. 

I was relieved to find their Grahams were Irish since my mother's paternal line is Graham from Scotland. 

Then I found the article, Meharg, a name cursed since the 1500s; blame it on the Archbishop of Glasgow, written by Howard Meharg that tells us this

"My distant and unknown relative, Bob, has discovered that our family hails from a blood-soaked region along the border of Scotland and England he describes as once being in the "grip of feud and organized gangsterism." Trust me, Bob says, this was bad stuff. And it was made that way, largely, by a bunch of murderous clans known as the "border reivers," whose only major contribution to English culture was the word "blackmail."

These "goons" (Bob's word) thought nothing of sacking and looting a farm or neighboring clan. Now, right in the thick of all of this were our ancestors, who at that time went under the name of Graham.

The Grahams, he says in a bit of understatement, were so good at their business that they brought a "certain amount of ill will." Thus, they were savagely persecuted by the English king of the day.

But that was just the beginning of the Grahams' problems. The Archbishop of Glasgow issued a tirade which, in part, went like this: "I curse thair heid and all the haris of thair heid; I curse thair face, thair ene, thair mouth, thair crag, thair schulderis, thair breist, thair hert..."

Only a Scot could come up with something like that. But it worked. It became so unhealthy to be a Graham that many of them, at the behest of one smart family member, decided to change the name to avoid further attention. In a blaze of inspiration, he put the letters backwards, from Graham to Maharg and later to Meharg. 

Then, in an equally bright move, a branch of the family ran off to the peace and safety of Northern Ireland." 2

It's interesting that this family lore is similar to the family lore my husband's branch tells, but not so close that it's the exact same tale.

Now we are left wondering if the two sides of this Bramble Bush really are merging ... 

Sorry kids you may be cousins to yourself!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Footnotes:

1  The Most Popular Baby Names of the 1800s. Cheyenne Buckingham. Yahoo Finance. Originally published June 21st 2017. Retrieved Octover 5th 2024 from 
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/most-popular-baby-names-1800-161237599.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJob1mM6J_Ra_Mb1HDrty-T0kTFrqcYa5wFwP0VHxF9LOS-EeGMkIFDlR7bpVXulqe-ZKbME-3igFtKfCgtHzKFRl-JZcNSfJ7hArWJeEYfUKuInvX5xqzuCBpqHyigfX6WHDr90udJ4dYCa7FwxYrFpID_JMuMoh4g3kxNDDN_u

2 Meharg, a name cursed since the 1500s; blame it on the Archbishop of Glasgow. Howard Meharg. Retrieved October 11th 2024 from 
https://www.howardsong.org/meharg-name-cursed-since-1500

Sources:

Galbi Think! Retrived October 11th 2024 from 
https://www.galbithink.org/

John Franklin Meharg Sr. Find A Grave. Retrieved October 11th 2024 from
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48974046/john_franklin_meharg

Mary Ett Longstaff Meharg. Find A Grave. Retrieved October 11th 2024 from
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48974066/mary_ett_meharg

Meharg, a name cursed since the 1500s; blame it on the Archbishop of Glasgow. Howard Meharg. Retrieved October 11th 2024 from
https://www.howardsong.org/meharg-name-cursed-since-1500

The Most Popular Baby Names of the 1800s. Cheyenne Buckingham. Yahoo Finance. Originally published June 21st 2017. Retrieved Octover 5th 2024 from 
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/most-popular-baby-names-1800-161237599.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJob1mM6J_Ra_Mb1HDrty-T0kTFrqcYa5wFwP0VHxF9LOS-EeGMkIFDlR7bpVXulqe-ZKbME-3igFtKfCgtHzKFRl-JZcNSfJ7hArWJeEYfUKuInvX5xqzuCBpqHyigfX6WHDr90udJ4dYCa7FwxYrFpID_JMuMoh4g3kxNDDN_u

Popular Given Names. US, 1801-1999. Given Name Frequency Project. Douglas Galbi. Galbi Think. Retrieved October 5th 2024 from
https://www.galbithink.org/names/us200.htm

Top names of the 1880s. Social Security. Unite States Government. Retrieved October 5th 2024 from
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1880s.html

Photos:

John Franklin & Mary Ette (nee Longstaff) Meharg. Photo provided by extended family member to the writer.

Top 10 baby names for boys and girls, Screenclip, Social Security Administration. Unite States Government. Retrieved October 11th 2024 from
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/decades/names1880s.html

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Fashionista ~ Past & Present

Thinking about this week's prompt TEXTILES I started thinking about how fashion changes over time. 

Often we look at old photos and are confused about what was 'in style'. Looking at how our ancestors dressed through the eyes of today we are often left giggling. How could THAT possibly be in fashion we ask ourselves.

I would like to believe my husband's ancestors were fashionable since it's a trait he has & has passed to our children. 

I have written about my husband's fashion sense before - read it here: Fashionista ~ Princess Chris

I have been known to go out looking less than 'well put together', but they never do! 

This is my husband's 4th great grandmother on his father's paternal line.

Sarah Elizabeth (nee Hawthorne) Meharg was known as Elizabeth. 

Looking at this photo we wonder -- was she fashionable? Was the bonnet the latest fashion?  or not? 

When I look at the photo there is no doubt she is related to my husband. They share similarities in the nose, lips, chin and face shape, along with hair line. They may also share eyebrows, but we can't be sure 4th great grandma didn't alter hers for beauty practices of the day.

It's always interesting to find features shared with ancestors.

She was 22 years old when she married John William (known as William) Meharg at Drumballyroney Civil Parish, County Down, Northern Ireland. This information was provided by an ancestor & genealogy researcher via message on Ancestry. Their first born child was born in that parish near the village of Rathfriland further supporting the claim.

She was 84 years old (widowed at age 40) when she died while visiting daughter Esther (married to Daniel Archibald Mosher) in Yale, Michigan, USA.

My husband's 4th great grandparents: 

Sarah Elizabeth (Elizabeth) Hawthorne
BIRTH 1 JAN 1804 • County Down, Northern Ireland
DEATH 30 AUG 1888 • Yale, St. Clair County, Michigan, USA
and
John William (William) Meharg
BIRTH County Down, Northern Ireland
DEATH 1844 • Ontario, Canada

Elizabeth & William had 9 children including 2 sets of twins born just just 2 years (less a day) apart. 

That household must have been so busy with 2 year old twins, newborn twins, a 4 year old, a 7 year old, and a 9 year old. I can't imagine how she coped with looking after the children & the home in a time when no conveniences existed.

Their children:

William Meharg
BIRTH 1830 • Ireland
DEATH ABT. 1852

John Franklin Meharg (my husband's 3rd great grandfather)
BIRTH 24 JUN 1832 • Rathfriland, Ulster, County Down, Ireland
DEATH 7 JUN 1909 • Norfolk, Haldimand-Norfolk Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada

James Meharg
BIRTH 12 AUG 1835 • Ireland
DEATH 17 DEC 1914 • Ludington, Mason, Michigan, USA

Elizabeth Margaret Meharg
BIRTH 8 NOV 1837 • Ireland
DEATH Unknown

Samuel Meharg 
BIRTH 8 NOV 1837 • Rathfriland, County Down, Northern Ireland
DEATH 14 OCT 1912 • Russell County, Kansas, USA

Sarah Lavina Meharg
BIRTH 7 NOV 1839 • Hillsborough, County Down, Ulster, Northern Ireland
DEATH 17 MAY 1922 • Watertown, Codington Co., South Dakota, USA

Esther Meharg
BIRTH 7 NOV 1839 • Ireland
DEATH 28 JUN 1920 • Yale, St. Clair County, Michigan, USA

Robert Meharg
BIRTH ABT. 1841
DEATH Unknown

Edward Meharg
BIRTH ABT. 1843
DEATH ABT. 1843
Edward died on the trip to Canada, and was buried at sea

The first child I could find records for was born 4 years after their marriage. After that babies arrived about every 2 years. I suspect there was infants born still or died young that didn't make the trip from Ireland, and their records are lost to us at this time. We may find them in the future. No child should be forgotten.

On a side note - the family story is the Meharg family were sheep thieves, and after deciding to leave their thieving days behind reversed the spelling of their name. The name was originally Graham. When I first heard this family tale I was concerned about my husband and I being related since my mom's maiden name was Graham. As I cautiously clicked the One-to-one Autosomal DNA Comparison button on GedMatch I was relieved to see No shared DNA segments found, and even more relieved for the same answer with my mom's sister's kit number. 

My Grahams are from Scotland, and his Mehargs are from Ireland.

We are not related.

Finding no shared branches between spouses!!!

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Sarah Elizabeth (nee Hawthorne) Meharg, Retrieved May 22nd 2022 from Ancestry. Original source of photo unknown.

Sources:

Drumballyroney.  Civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. Retrieved May 22nd 2022 from https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Drumballyroney

Marriage information for Sarah Elizabeth Hawthorne & John William Meharg. Descendant & Genealogy researcher Carol (Meharg) Morrow. Provided January 2022

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Unexpected ~ Not Related To My Husband

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2020 Week 25 (UNEXPECTED)


Many years ago I first heard the tale of the Meharg's in my husband's side of the Bramble Bush.



As the tale goes this line of the family had been sheep thieves. When they made the decision to leave their sheep thieving days behind they reversed the spelling of their name for a fresh start. Graham became Meharg.


My husband's X2 great grandmother was a Meharg
Rosa Lulu Meharg
BIRTH 12 JUL 1882 • Glen Meyer, Ontario
DEATH 23 DEC 1962 • Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada


My mother's maiden name was Graham.


There was little doubt in my mind that my husband and I were related via Clan Graham.


Flash forward many years, and we receive our Ancestry DNA results which show we are not related.


BUT wait -- what if it's too small a match to flag for Ancestry.
Off to GedMatch for final confirmation

Nothing in my family tree was as unexpected as finding out my husband and I had no in common DNA segments via the Graham family line.


I went in search of the story we had heard. There are many records of exact and similar stories out there which may suggest there is some truth to the tale about a fresh start after a life of thievery.  


There are also many sources that Meharg is an Irish name that had nothing to do with the Grahams of Scotland.

This very unusual Irish name is believed to originate from Galloway in Scotland where it was originally spelt as Mac Giolla Chairge - 'the son of the servant of Carraigh' - a personal name meaning 'the rock'. There are number of alternative modern spellings including MacIlhagga, McIlharga, MacElhargy, Maharg and Maharg, these alternatives being found generally in counties Antrim and Derry. The abreviation of 'Mac' to 'Ma' or 'Me' is common in Ulster for reasons of dialect. The name also appears in The Famine Record for 1845-46 as Mahagin (son of the son of 'Harg') and Michael Maha, as well Joan Maharg of Liverpool, described as a lady who eimgrated to America in 1846. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Mac Giolla Chairge which was dated 1659 the All Ireland Census during the reign of Richard Cromwell, The Lord Protector 1658-1659 Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. 1

My husband's X3 great grandfather arrived from Ulster, Ireland
John Franklin Meharg 
BIRTH 24 JUN 1832 • Rathfriland, Ulster, County Down, Ireland
DEATH 7 JUN 1909 • Norfolk, Haldimand, Ontario, Canada

John Franklin & Mary Etta (nee Longstaff) Meharg, and their children
source: Ancestry 

my great grandfather arrived from Scotland
Robert (Bob/Bobby) Graham
BIRTH 3 MAY 1906 • Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 10 AUG 1960 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

My great grandfather Robert (Bob) (Bobby) Graham is not in this photo
his son (John Robert (Jack) and ex wife Nellie (nee Cannon) are
along with his mother and siblings and their families
source: family photo

The Meharg line of our Bramble Bush is from Ireland, and the Graham line from Scotland. 



The roots of this Bramble Bush are not intertwined!

This is why I search - 



Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
















***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***






Footnotes:

1 Last name: Meharg, Surname Database, The Internet Surname Database, Retrieved June 20th 2020 from 
https://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Meharg



Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

___________________________________________________________