This week it's "favorite name". I don't have a favorite named ancestor. For the most part, their names are traditional names, run of the mill. I do have one ancestor that I thought of right away, though. It's the name I love to hate. It's not a bad name, just confusing.
When I first got on the internet in 1999, I had been working on my family for a long time. You know, old school. I had talked to my grandmother about everyone she had known. She told me the story of "Raney" Willcutt Jaynes. She loved Raney so much she named her second daughter for her. Joyce 'Lorraine'. Grandma said Raney's name was Lorraine Willcutt/Willcut/Wilcut Jaynes, but everyone called her Raney. When I first listed her as Lorraine, I got so many emails telling me in no uncertain terms, that her name was Lorena, or Louraney, or Loraney, or just Raney. Even the offended did not match. So, I changed my entry in my file as a compromise, to Loraney. I don't feel good about it. My grandparents lived right across the road from Raney and William for many years. Raney could not read nor write and would run across the road to my grandmother when she would get a letter. Grandma would read it to her and write her response for her. My grandmother was an avid reader and felt so sorry for Raney. To my grandmother, not being able to read was a fate worse than death. She was certain it was a harsh burden in life to endure.
You tell me what I am to do about this name.
1860 Census (with parents) Rennie
Indiana Marriages: Revenia Willcot
1900 Census: Lourenia
1910 Census: Lurena
1930 Census: Lourany
Death Cert: Luraney Jaynes [Luraney Wilcott]
Even the last name is a pain. Most problems like this can be solved by documents. This one, not so much.
Did I say it gives me a headache? It does.
P.S. I found three more:
Husband's death cert: Lurinda Jaynes
Son DeWitt's death cert: Lorraine Wilcut
Son George's death cert: Lorraine Wilcut
#52Ancestors #genealogy #Willcutt/Willcut/Wilcut
No comments:
Post a Comment