Last year I was researching the ancestry of Joseph Irvine STEPHENSON
(1878-1935) of Newtownstewart, Tyrone for a branch of my family. Despite
knowing he was from Fermanagh and the names of some of his siblings I found no
trace of his origins and had almost given up the search until I found a single
mention of the surname STINSON in connection with the family. Then they all
tumbled out of the records.
Joseph STINSON (1844-1927) and his wife Elizabeth (nee WEIR) had a total of 13
children at Agho, Fermanagh, 11 of whom were named STINSON on birth
registrations, 1 named STENSON and one record I was unable to find. The
children were: Letitia Elizabeth (1874), Harriet Jane (1875), James “Jim” Henry
(1877), Joseph Irvine (1878), Emily Katherine (1881), Bamford John (1882),
Charlie E (1884), Mary Alice “Lily” (1886), Annie Frances (1888), Rebecca Susan
(1890), Robert Edmund (1892), William Wallace (1892), George Reginald (1897).
The first record I found of anyone in the family being recorded as STEPHENSON
was the passenger list showing one of the girls returning from New York to
Liverpool in 1900. The following year the family at Agho were all recorded as
STEPHENSON in the 1901 census despite the last child having been recorded as
STINSON at birth only four years earlier. I found two more records of children
being recorded as STINSON in the early 1900’s on travel documents but other
than that, all later records I found have stated STEPHENSON.
Of the 13 children, the eldest son remained in Fermanagh, 3 children relocated
to Tyrone, 7 emigrated to the US, and the destiny of two is unknown.
The oldest surviving descendant of this line, born 1934 in Newtownstewart and
the source of all my original information about some of those 13 children, told
me she had never heard any reference to the name STINSON and was quite shocked
by the revelation.
From: Elwyn Soutter via CoTyroneList
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2021 4:34 AM
To: CoTyroneIreland.com Mailing List
Cc: Elwyn Soutter
Subject: [CoTyroneMailingList] Re: Stevenson, Stinson
Katie,
The idea of a single or correct spelling for a surname or a place name in
Ireland is very much a recent phenomenon designed to meet the needs of modern
officialdom. Before that there was no consistency. Names were spelled
phonetically and each variation was down to the whim of the particular person
recording the information. You will often see the spelling change as the
records go back. This rarely indicates a deliberate decision to alter the name,
nor even a mistake. Not everyone was literate, but even when they were, exact
and consistent spelling simply wasn’t something they bothered about. In
addition to varying the actual spelling, O’ or Mac prefixes were optional and
were often omitted.
In 1899, the Rev Smith reviewed the early records of Antrim 1st Presbyterian
church (covering the years 1674 to c 1736). He noted: “Even the same word is
not always spelled alike by the same hand. Indeed spelling with most of the
recording officials (and they must have been fairly numerous) was a matter of
the most sublime indifference. The name William, for instance, is spelled 3
different ways in as many lines; while Donegore, a neighbouring parish, is
spelled 10 different ways; but these extend over a good number of years. Many
families names are spelled phonetically, while others are given in the most
round-about fashion.”
There are also many interchangeable names in Ireland and you can expect to see
either version feature in the same family. So it’s wise to search Irish records
using both versions.
Examples of interchangeable surnames are: McDowell & Madole, Robertson &
Robinson, Kilpatrick and Kirkpatrick, Nogher & Connor, Patterson & Pattison,
Faulkner & Falconer, McConnell & McDonnell, Kerr & Carr, Stewart & Stuart,
McKinney & Mackenzie, plus obviously Stevenson & Steenson.
Many forenames are also interchangeable eg Jean & Jane, Jenny & Janet, Nancy,
Agnes & Ann are all interchangeable, Sally & Sarah, Sheila & Julia, Mary & May,
Peggy & Margaret, Peter & Patrick, Sean & John, John & Jack, Edward & Edmund,
Henry & Harry, Robin & Robert, Roy & Robert, Kathleen & Catherine. (The famous
Scottish poet Robert Burns was never known as Robert to his friends. He was
always Robin to them). It’s just something that needs to be taken into account
when searching Irish and Scottish records.
As far as Stevenson and Steenson is concerned, you might find it helpful to
think about how that name is pronounced and spoken here in Ulster. We speak
quickly with the emphasis on the first syllable. So Stevenson & Steenson sound
much the same. In the same way, McDowell is pronounced Madole here, so leading
to the alternative spelling.
Expect spelling to vary. That was the norm. No caste implications, just the way
we speak.
Elwyn
On Sunday, 12 September 2021, 19:16:33 BST, Katie Green via CoTyroneList
<[email protected]> wrote:
Hello folks,
I have long wondered how the name Stinson or Stenson came to be a version of
Stevenson and what the import of that fore-shortening was. (There are Stinsons
in my ancestry.) Was there caste implications involved? Anybody know?
Katie Green
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