Part 84r – Robertson Records - GGG-Grandmother Agnes (née Miller) - Grasshoppers

Evening,

And I'm in a quandary. I sat down at my PC to delve into my genealogy and my research, but I keep thinking about supper. I have a hankering for something nice for supper.

I can't make up my mind as to exactly what, so I immediately turned to my handy electronic cookbook, the Internet. And what catches my eye? "How to Cook Grasshoppers." Fair, I'll bite… Sorry about the very bad pun, but I know that I do not have any grasshoppers in the kitchen, and it's late, and it's been raining pretty hard, and I'm not sure if there are any stores close by with such a product. So I'm safe. I'll not be cooking grasshoppers for supper.

To satisfy my curiosity I start reading the instructions on How to Cook Grasshoppers at wikiHow. Apart from the fact that the initial coaching indicates that "they must be cooked to kill any parasites that they may be carrying", I read that "the flavor is comparable to shrimp, crab or lobster!" But it's the second step that would really turn me away… "Put your quarry in a container to keep them alive." I do not picture my food as quarry. Quarry is just not a word that I use in suburban living. Oh well…

But just a note to the squeamish out there, grasshoppers and shrimp are arthropods. They are both animals that are a part of the Phylum Arthopoda… known by their jointed limbs and cuticles. So if you eat a shrimp, you may be eating a grasshopper's distant cousin… and I'm back to genealogy… And I may be eating Chinese take-out for supper. Craig, Paula, have you ever eaten at Chapulines at Hugo's in Houston? I want to.

Back to my search and research of my ancestors named Agnes.

To date:

1. Grandaunt Agnes Harriett Robertson; b. 1883; d. 1958,
   
2. Great-Grandaunt Agnes maybe Miller Robertson; b. 1841; d. unknown, and
   
3. 1^st Cousin Twice Removed Margaret Agnes Jaques; b. 1861; d. 1861.
   

The next Agnes on my list is my great-great-great-grandmother Agnes (née Miller) Robertson. She was the wife of my three-times great grandfather Thomas Robertson and possibly grandmother to great-grandaunt Agnes maybe Miller Robertson. At Part 75r I was able to provide the 1805 Old Parochial Register for the Parish of Glasgow in the County of Lanark which depicts the birth registration of great-great-grandfather John Robertson.

Following that I was able to obtain a copy of the 1804 Old Parochial Register page which shows the entry for the 17 August 1804 marriage of ggg-grandparents Thomas and Agnes (née Miller) Robertson. The registration the Parish of Glasgow and the County of Lanark follows:

Transcribed –

269. Glasgow 29^th July 1804

Robertson Thomas Robertson, Weaver in Glas^w & Agnes Miller, Residenter there. Married 17^th August by Mr. William Watson, Burgher Seceder Minister in Glasgow.

Great-great-great-grandmother Agnes' maiden name was Miller. Could not her son, great-great-grandfather John have named his 2^nd daughter for his mother's full name, Agnes Miller? Scottish naming patterns or patronymics; a named derived from one's father's ancestor, may have the answer. From ScotlandsPeople:

Scots often named children by following a simple set of rules:

1st son named after father's father
2nd son named after mother's father
3rd son named after father
1st daughter named after mother's mother
2nd daughter named after father's mother
3rd daughter named after mother

This is a possible ruling. Great-grandaunt Agnes Miller Robertson may have been named for her father's mother, great-great-great-grandmother Agnes (née Miller) Robertson. Success! Maybe?

I cannot explain why great-granduncle William Donnison Robertson, son of great-great-grandfather John and his first wife Margaret (née Donnison) was named William… but, the naming pattern fits for great-granduncle Thomas Miller Robertson, the oldest son of great-great-grandfather John and his second wife, great-great-grandmother Margaret (née Megwire) Robertson. Both of their fathers, three-times great-grandfathers, were named Thomas; Thomas Robertson and Thomas Megwire.

And on that note I will stop writing, before I get myself thoroughly confused.

Enjoy,

Jim.