Abstract
May I congratulate Haridas and Mather for their detailed investigation of James Simpson’s use of his middle name Young, establishing its first recorded use in November 1832. 1
May I also say that I disagree with their suggested use of Young as a sobriquet or for distinction from similarly named others, based on my own experience in family history research into my ancestors finding that issue naming conventions would assure a Young family connection. The marriage of James Young Simpson’s older sibling, David, to Helen Young, one year before the newly found information, appears to me to support that supposition.
After discovering many instances of the surname Young in the five Bathgate and neighbouring Ecclesmachan cemeteries, the assistance of the West Lothian Family History Society (WLFHS) has proved invaluable. Despite his detailed Simpson family research being as yet unpublished and the WLFHS Library with Young family tree details in COVID-19 lockdown, chairman Tom Smith’s offering of ‘… I am quite happy to conclude that his MIDDLE name is not a nickname …’ is very significant to me!
I am encouraging publication of Mr Smith’s researches, hopefully to find a definitive resolution to this apparent dilemma.