We have of course always been aware that the Stranger surname is uncommon. What was less evident before we started to research our family history is that there are several surnames, mainly in Jon's ancestry, that are still quite rare today, notably Stranger, Pashler, Baron and Measures.
%20Baron.jpg "click to enlarge")
For example, there is a website called Surnames of England and Wales which is an extract of an Office of National Statistics database as of September 2002. The list contain almost 270,000 surnames, shared by 54.4 million people (surnames shared by fewer than 5 people have been excluded). It does not claim to be 100% accurate, but as a guide there are only 125 people with the surname Stranger and only 65 with the surname Pashler. Compare this with something like Johnson, at almost 200,000, or even Wilkinson at around 73,000.
As a result, it has been tempting to extend the family history research laterally rather than just pursue the direct lineage, and carry out what effectively amounts to a one-name study for several of these surnames, at least in certain geographical areas (for example, Stranger in Devon, Baron in Cornwall, Pashler in Bedfordshire/Huntingdonshire). This tends to change the approach to family history research: instead of just searching for data about a specific individual, it can be appropriate to look for any occurrence of the surname in question and then try to determine how such individuals are related.
On the right is a rather wonderful portrait of Jon's great grandmother Elizabeth Baron taken around 1876 when she was about 17.
Researching Sue's ancestry has been more difficult - mainly due to surnames that are either fairly common (Brown, Young) or prone to misspelling (Alford - especially in Yorkshire where pronunciation of a leading 'H' is highly optional and can lead to one being assumed where it does not exist!). However, there is a great mining tradition in Sue's family and there are still interesting stories to tell.