Friday, January 27, 2017

A Step Back In Time: Unusual Names

My Dad recently shared some old family pictures with me. I love genealogy, old pictures, and stories so I was tickled pink! I decided to do a "Great Great Grandparent Collage" and it got me thinking about unusual names. 

The majority of the people in these pictures have common names such as John, Martha, Warren, etc. but the mother in the top picture is my great great grandmother, Narcissus Whilhemina Bonnine Norvell. Now ain't that a mouthful? Of course I never had the chance to meet most of the people in this collage but I did get to meet the little girl that is to the right of Narcissus. She was my great grandma, Alice Annalou Norvell Roberts. She and my great grandpa, Fred, lived on the reservation in Cherokee, N.C. until they died.

I didn't get to meet my grandmother, Alice and Fred's daughter, but my mom did give me something of hers...my middle name, Loadeema. I didn't really like the name when I was younger but grew to appreciate always having a link to the grandmother I never knew and our Cherokee heritage.

Do you happen to have an unusual name or know of one in your family? I would love to hear them! Please share them in the comment section below. 

21 comments:

  1. My first name is Starretta. I was born southwest Virginia.

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  2. My Grandma's middle name was Brown. She was named after the doctor that delivered her. That's what the doctor and my great grandparents bartered for his services. She was born in Randolph County NC in 1888.

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  3. Macel - from so far southwest in VA residents of the rest of the state don't even know we exist - named after my mother, who said she was named after her mother's friend. That's all I know, other than Jerry Falwell's wife's name was Macel.

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  4. One of my grandsons is named Beck and another one Cage. They are both 16.

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  5. My Daddy's sister was named Orgie. This really perplexed me; I asked my Granny why that name and she told me that she was named after an old teacher that they all liked. Years later I learned the probable name that the teacher actually had--Ogee. Ogee was a common name in Tennessee.

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  6. My great great grandparents lived in West virginia. They were Paulser and Statira.

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  7. My father had a deceased baby sister named Lee Banna. His name was Larkin (called Lark). They were raised in Kyle's Ford, TN. I also had and aunt by marriage named Bernelle.

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  8. Tennessee, Alva, Nerva, Clement, Erie, Lear these are names from our family.

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  9. My mother's name is Dicie... it is an old family name..

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  10. My grandmother on my mother's side was named Dola. My mother, Ruby, named her first child after her and her mother n law, my grandmother Nellie. So my sister's name is Dola Nell.

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  11. My father's name is Minuard,my brother named his son Minuard after Dad.we were born in Wayne county West Virginia

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  12. My mother's friend was named Capitola Doiladee.

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  13. My Grandmother's name was Bartha. Have an Uncle named Orangie. My family roots are in Southeastern Kentucky, near Tennesse//West Virginia border.

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  14. I'm from Tennessee. My name is Luann but my dads was Ober Enoch Montgomery McAmis. Had aunt's named Trula Odell Strong and Clara Udema Strong. Uncles named Buford, Luther and Ruble.

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  15. My Dad's name was Buford Jennings and his brothers were Broadus, Garland, Frederick Quay. Definitely different!

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  16. My papaw's name was Buena Ester Gibbs. Papaw. Not mamaw.

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  17. My name is Dwaina named after my father Larry Dwayne. Grandmother names was Rozella Bute everyone called her Dute .

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  18. My grandpa is 1 of 7 and his siblings are named:
    Tony (Female), Myrtie, Noble, Zella, Stella, Junior (him), and Winfred. However, when my grandpa enlisted the army wouldn't let him go by Junior anymore so he took his grandpa's name: Grant and that's what he's gone by ever since.

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  19. My great grandma’s name was Xonie pronounced ex-oh-nee

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