----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2000 6:05
AM
Subject: Re: Hello from a new
member!
At 20:49 05/11/00 -0500, you wrote:
Thank you for accepting my request to join the
Sinclair mailing list. :o)
In searching my surname of "Snody"
(which until just a few generations ago
was spelled "Snoddy"), I learned
that my surname is a sept of the Clan
Sinclair.
My ancestors
are Ulster Scots, and from what I have learned my family moved
to
northern Ireland from Scotland in about 1650, then to
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania about 1735, then to Virginia, then North
Carolina where I now
live.
My ancestors help settle this
part of northwest North Carolina, and up
until the last fifteen
years or so, most of the families in the area were of
Scots-Irish
descent.
I am very curious to learn how the surname "Snoddy" is
affiliated with the
Clan Sinclair. Is it through marriage, or was
it for protection by the
Sinclairs?
Any information you can share
with me will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Rebecca
Snody
[ This is the Sinclair family discussion list,
sinclair@mids.org
[ To get off or on the list, see http://www.mids.org/sinclair/list.html
Dear
Rebecca,
Snody,
Snoddy, Snoddie, Snodgrass
As you correctly surmise, this name
is to be found in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It began as
a
nickname for a neat, trim and tidy person from the Norse word
snod with the added diminutive
suffix of 'y' or 'ie'
which is not unusual in Scotland where we speak of a 'roadie'. a 'lochie', a
'manie',
a wifie, etc.
There are three different branches of
Sinclairs in Northern
Ireland:
The
Sinclairs of
Belfast
The
Sinclairs of
Balymena
The
Sinclairs of Holyhill
At the moment, I cannot find any connection with
"Snoddy" except to suggest that Sinclairs (generally
speaking) are always
very particular about their dress and appearance so it may be that some of
them
became known as being "Snoddie" which is really a Scandinavian way of
saying that they were "Dandies"
- which many Sinclairs undoubtedly
are.
Perhaps Ian Laird can let us have his views on the likelihood of
this (admittedly) rather fanciful derivation !!
Niven
Sinclair
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