Clues in your family house names are a fascinating way of tracing your ancestors as they may have been the people that actually named the house.
Many people name their houses after the towns or places they originated from or places that are strongly associated with the family. These place names could be vital clues when looking for that missing link. House names also contain names of people, eg Alison & Donald become “Aldon” – they could be named after children, spouses or something special in their lives.
These names should not be overlooked. Professions and associations can also end up being used as house names, like “Gordon Lodge” meaning “was anyone a Mason in the family?” or “Luxor” could denote that a family member had been to Egypt during the 2nd World War. Homes called “Tralee” could mean your family originated from Ireland or “QRZ” your grandmother was radio ham and this meant “Please call again” My own family home was called “Desborough”, which as the story goes, is the town where our great great grandfather came from. It is also the surname of Earl Charles Spencer’s godfather and the town of Desborough is not that far from Althorp, Charles’s home! Who knows we could be related. Please contact me if you want to find out more about your family home.
