I came across this tree this morning. It's full of Things Which Are Not True -- I'm trying to figure out where the fantasy stops and reality begins.
I explain:
Here, we have Humphrey Johnston born in 1087. The name Humphrey wasn't in use in England until the Normans came in. They've been in England for 20 years by this time, but this isn't a Norman family, as shown by the name Johnston. That's a Scottish name not in use in England at this time.
Worse, his father is alarmingly named Smerviemore. That name does exist, but it is a fiction, one of the sons of King Arthur: Smervie Mor Amid Coslidh, {Fictional, Early Scottish Genealogies}
I see by the notes in this profile that the rumor is that this Smerviemore is the illegimate son of King Robert I of France! Yeah, no. First of all, why anybody in Anjou is giving a son a Celtic name is unclear; also, since Robert died 200 years before this guy was born, I'm thinking, nah. Here's Robert, in case you think I'm getting my arithmetic wrong: Robert I, king of West Francia (the fact that both Smerviemore and his son were born on the same year doesn't bother me, because THEY WEREN'T THERE.)
So, ok. These people didn't exist.
Let's go further down the tree! Maybe other people did!
Humphrey's son is named Henry, a Norman name, but ok, since the Normans had by the time the son was supposedly born been in England for a few decades, let's let that go. He's married to someone named Adrian, though. No. That was a name given only to men at this time.
Henry's son Edward -- Edward J. Johnston -- the dates here are really wonky -- has a middle initial. Nobody had middle names at this time.
Here is Edward's son Cecil: Cecil J. Johnston -- you think I'm going to rant about the middle initial, right? Nope! I already mentioned that. No, I'm going to rant about the Cecil part. "Cecil" does show up at this time, though it's a back spelling. It's a Welsh name -- Seisyllt. It will indeed become the Cecil family. But at this time, if it appears, it's in a Welsh family. This one isn't Welsh. Believe me. It's all over the map so far -- Normandy, England, Scotland, but Wales? No.
Ok! Moving on! Pseudo-Welsh guy has a son named Charles: Charles Johnson -- oh, whatever. Even the French weren't spelling it thusly at the time, but this isn't worth me ranting about it. But! He's married to Ethelred! This is an Actual Old English Name. So I guess this polyglot family was going back to its roots. Alas! Like Adrian, this is, at the time, still a man's name.
We have a few generations that aren't actually alarming (though they were all lords and ladies, which I took out, because, no), till we get to Rubin Johnson, born in 1335 -- Rubin Johnson -- I take this to be Reuben, why not -- Now, obviously, the English/Normans/Welsh/Scots KNEW the name Reuben at this time, since it's in the Bible, but it didn't become used in England till the 17th century -- I have never, myself, come across it in medieval or even Renaissance English records.
A few more generations I can't get excited about -- then we come to Annabelle Johnson -- a version of Annabelle was used in Scotland, but this name wasn't used in England at this time.
then we come to Ira Johnson -- Ira was not used as a name in England until after the Reformation.
One of the several improbable Iras was married to Ambrosia Johnson -- this is remotely possible. Unlikely use of the name Ambrosia, but unlikely. Given the fantasy of many of the rest of the names in the family, I'm not impressed.
This line was connected to Maurice Johnson, Esq. but I have disconnected that; Maurice Johnson's parents are unknown. They certainly weren't fantasy people with impossible names. Just saying.
The line is still connected to the World Tree, however, at Sarah Johnson -- we need to disconnect it at some point.
Anyway.
I'm going to go have a little rest now, and attack the Where to Disconnect the Mythical Johnsons later.
But please to add in ACTUAL sources for these people, if you have them.
Real sources. That point to actual documents and the like.
Thank you.
