Can a name have a Jr suffix but a father of a totally different name?

Question

I've got an ancestor given on WikiTree profile as "Jr" [Joseph Tudor Todd Jr, Todd-103] but profile is linked to a father with a different name [John Todd-3006]. Seems odd to me.

A Rootsweb.Ancestry.com bio lists Joseph Tudor Todd Sr as son of John Todd, and then shows Joseph Tudor Todd Jr as only child by Joseph Sr's first marriage [https://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=toddtf17&id=I57&op=GET&style=TABLE] .

Before I contact the manager for Todd-103, I thought I'd check first with more seasoned genealogists on this forum to see if JR is ever assigned in reference to a "SR" other than the direct father.

Thanks!

Answer 1

I have seen several occurrences of records which added "Jr" or "Jun'r" to a person's name, though other evidence indicates the father didn't have the same name. I have seen it most frequently for individuals that had a grand-father, uncle, or other close relative with the same name.

In town records, deeds, census records, etc., it appears that the intent was to distinguish the person named in the record from another person of the same name in the same community.

EDIT: similarly, I've seen "Sr" or similar added to a person's name that didn't have a son of the same name, apparently with the same intent.

EDIT2: IF one of those occurrences is the reason the profile has the suffix "Jr," and lacking any source indicating his parents considered that part of his name, (in my opinion) the removal of the suffix should be considered.

Comments

Thanks for the quick response and guidance, Bruce. That tells me what famly to research before considering next steps.

Best,
Mark

Answer 2

I have seen this when the grandfather or the uncle had the same name

Comments

Thanks for the quick response and insight, Robynne. That tells me I need to research grandfathers and uncles more carefully before next steps.

Cheers,
Mark