Dear Tim;
In history as with the current day, the adopting or keeping ones name is
highly symbolic as well as identifying the individual. Hence a lady can
change her name to that of her husband's surname, another can change to a
dual name and while it is rare to see a husband change his name to his wifes
maiden name, there is no legal impediment against ones doing so. Hence we
get in genealogy those without a Sinclair surname with perhaps less direct
bloodline than an individual posessing the Sinclair surname. At our reunion
I explained this simply by suggesting the historical origin of names, where
an individual adopted a name simply because of choice. Hence McNokaid
becomes Sinclair and many of the viking names in Orkney eventually became
Sinclairs by choice. So for our reunion we had Sinclairs All; everyone
entitled as the next to share in the culture and heritage, all carrying
similar DNA despite a plethora of naming traditions. Cousins all, and all
proud Sinclairs.
Now Tim you might remember that writer frequently adopt pen names that carry
on with perfect legal authority hence Anne Rice, Stephen King and of course
Samuel Clemens all had pen names not of their own. So "Tim
Wallace-Murphy-Sinclair" keep you pen moving all the time!
Neil Sinclair
Toronto
What would be a good definition of a spiritual Sinclair?
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