Section IV  Massey Appendices One Maryland Massey Family by George Langford, Jr. 1901-1996
©Cullen G. Langford and George Langford, III, 2010


Appendix III
Confusing Given Names

One of the very useful genealogical research tools is the family diagram. Diagrams aid in determining birth dates, maturity dates, marriage dates, family relationships, and the like. Diagrams also aid in decisions as to which citation applies to which person; most especially the choice between person of the same, or similar given names.
In our particular Massey line, the same given name is often born by several Massey men or women, often with overlapping life spans, making it most difficult to assign a citation to the proper man.
On the following pages, I have diagrammed the multiple given name situations that occur most frequently.  As most of the confusion concerns the early years, I have arbitrarily limited the scope of these diagrams to ca. 1800 and earlier.
1
Three Massey's named, "Benjamin."
8
Nine Massey's named, "John."
2
Six Massey's named, "Daniel Toas" or "Toas."
9
Five Massey's named, "Joseph."
3
Six Massey's named, "Ebenezer."
10
Six Massey's named, "Joshua."
4
Six Massey's named, "Elijah."
11
Seven Massey's named, "Nicholas."
5
Five Massey's named, "Eleazer."
12
Four Massey's named, "Peter."
6
Five Massey's named, "Elisha."
13
Seven Massey's named, "Thomas."
7
Eleven Massey's named, "James." 14
Seven Massey's named, "William."