People have asked why our family has so many different last names. Even Patrick’s last name is not that of his father.
For my sisters and aunt it’s easy because of marriages. In my (JP’s) case, I was adopted by my maternal grandparents when I was 12 years old. (Somewhere in my files I still have the letter from Patrick approving the adoption.)
As for Patrick, the West Virginia clerk misspelled it on his birth certificate in 1934 but he didn’t discover it until 1961 when he applied for his first passport.
I’m the son of Patrick of Meadows.