It's A Family Tradition

Here we are 12 weeks into this genealogy blogging challenge. This week the writing prompt is 'same' and I've decided to write about a recent discovery I made about my name and the name of FIVE of my ancestors. You see my given name is Rebecca Sue. I was named after both of my grandmothers - maternal first, paternal second. This year while building my tree on Ancestry, I discovered that my maternal grandmother was named after her grandmother and that her grandmother was named after hers and her grandmother was named after hers - for a total of NINE generations! The line in which I discovered this comes from Northern Ireland. The Irish follow a tradition in naming their children.

1st Daughter named after Mothers Mother
2nd Daughter named after Fathers Mother
3rd Daughter named after Mother
4th Daughter named after Mothers eldest sister
5th Daughter named after 2nd oldest sister or Fathers eldest sister

So while this tradition may have started out intentional, I wonder when it just became coincidence.  Now that I've picked up on it, I hope at least one of my three children will have a daughter and name her Rebecca and that her granddaughter will also be named Rebecca and on and on and on ....

My maternal grandmother's name is Rebecca Inda. She was also named after both sets of grandmothers. She was the fourth child born to Newell McKinley and Zula Jane (ACORD) STEPP. Newell's mother's name was Rebecca Matilda MERRILL and Zula Jane's mother was Clara Inda EVANS (Sometimes misunderstood to be Clarinda.) My grandmother married my grandfather, Leroy Harrison MELSON on November 23, 1955. She didn't have the opportunity to know her namesake because her grandmother died nearly three years before she was born. Also, just as I go by Becky instead of Rebecca, my grandmother goes by Reba, instead of Rebecca.

My grandmother's grandmother, Rebecca Matilda MERRIL, was born October 12, 1867 in Henderson or Buncombe County, North Carolina. She was the daughter of Abner MERRIL/MERRELL and Martha Elizabeth YOUNG. I still have a bit of a road block when it comes to Rebecca MERRILL's paternal line as I can't prove who Abner's father is. There were twin boys, William and Jacob MERRILL both of whom, apparently, named sons Abner. I have documented proof of William having a son, Abner. But only "word of mouth", undocumented, online family trees that say Jacob did. William's wife was Nancy McCRARY and Jacob's wife was Jennie M. McCARSON. Does the 'M' stand for Matilda? What was Nancy's middle name? Either way, I do know that Rebecca MERRILL was named after her mother's mother, Rebecca EDMONDSON.

Rebecca EDMONDSON was born around 1806 in North Carolina. She was the daughter of William EDMONDSON and Sarah PATTON (Sarah's sister is Elizabeth PATTON -who married Davy CROCKETT). Rebecca EDMONDSON married William YOUNG sometime before 1830. The two of them had at least six children together as he died fairly young sometime before 1850. Rebecca and her children are mentioned in her father-in-law, John YOUNG's,  Will as his son William's widow and heirs.



And much to my excitement, I just discovered while doing some research for this post that Rebecca EDMONDSON was named after her maternal grandmother Rebecca CATHEY. Rebecca CATHEY was the daughter of George CATHEY and UNKNOWN and was the wife of Robert PATTON. She was born around 1766 in Rowan County, North Carolina. Proof of her parentage and marriage to Robert PATTON comes from a court document, apparently a land dispute, out of Wilson County, Tennessee. It can be found in pages 112 - 115 - Wilson County (Tennessee) Court Minute Book - 1821-1825.

Below is the record transcribed and below it I included a cropped picture of the document so you can read the part that includes Robert and Rebecca PATTON:

Robert Neill versus George Cathey. William Neil, the complainant's father, sometime in the month of October 1783 gave to one George Cathey sixty-five pounds and securing for him lands in the western country. Said George purchased 640 acres in partnership with William Campbell. The bill also charges that William Neil gave to his son John Neil the tract of land. The bill also charges that the complainant purchased said land from John Neil his brother. The bill also charges that William and George Cathey, sons of George Cathey, executed their bonds of John Neil to convey to him said tract of land. Said bond has been lost. The bill also states to Violet Cathey, one of the daughters of said George Deceased and John Reed who had intermarried with Esther another of the daughters of said George executed a deed of relinquishment to the complainant. The bill also exhibits a release of Alexander Neil and James Neil, brothers to the complainant. The deed of relinquishment, dated 1 August 1821 given by John Neil, James Neil, Sarah Neil, John Plumley, William Plumley, Archibald Plumley, Jacob Howe, Hannah Howe, Benjamin Howe, and William Howe. That George Cathey, Violet Cathey, Jane Adkins, Samuel Lusk and wife Betsey, Benjamin Burgen and wife Mary are the children of said George Cathey deceased, that George Patton, John Logan, and wife Rebecca are the grandchildren of said George Cathey by his daughter Margaret who intermarried with Elija Patton and who are both deceased. Also Robert Cain and Daniel Cain, grandchildren of said George by his daughter Elizabeth who intermarried first with Robert Cain, also James Reed grand child of said George deceased by his daughter Elizabeth by her second husband Robert Reed, the said Robert Cain, Robert Reed and Elizabeth being all now dead. Also Robert Patton and his wife Rebecca who is daughter of said George, John Reed and wife Esther who is also a daughter of said George. Also Andrew Neil and wife Mary, the said Andrew being a son of William Neil Deceased and his wife Mary, a daughter of said George (Note: this last refers to the wife of Andrew-mp) Also Robert Gillespie and wife, Ann granddaughter of said George by his son William Cathey and George Cathey, James Cathey and Andrew Cathey and William Mahaly and wife Betsey, grandsons and daughter of said George by his son William Cathey now dead. And also the defendants James Neil, Mary grand daughter of said William by his son Archibald who is also deceased. Also Hardy Hightower and wife Hariet grand daughter of said William by his son Archibald, Alexander Neil, Samuel Neil, and gilbreath Neil, sons of said William and James Neil and wife Sally, Hannah Howes daughter of said William, also William Plumley and John Plumley, Jr., grandchildren of said William by his daughter Betsey who had intermarried with John Plumley, Sr. and is now dead. 1822

This PATTON/CATHEY line is new to me, as I only discovered them this week. I haven't been able to find conclusive evidence that Sarah PATTON was indeed married to Wm. EDMUNDSON/EDMONDSON other than records cited and kept at the Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society. I did however find a land record where William EDMUNDSON sold land to Thomas HEMPHIILL. Ages aren't given so I am uncertain as to whether this Thomas is Jr. or Sr. The younger Thomas would be William's son-in-law's uncle where as the older would be his son-in-law's grandfather. The land borders John YOUNG, Rebecca EDMONDSON'S father-in-law. The land description also mentions that a section of the land was originally granted by the State of North Carolina to a William YOUNG on the 17th of October 1796 - this William YOUNG is probably John YOUNG's father or brother as I haven't made it any further than John at this point in time.

So to recap - This tradition of naming daughters after their grandmothers has been going on for at least nine generations, spanning at least 200 years... unless one of my children continues the tradition.

Me (Rebecca Sue), my mother, my grandmother (Rebecca Inda), her father, her grandmother (Rebecca Matilda MERRILL), her mother, her grandmother (Rebecca EDMONDSON), her mother, her grandmother (Rebecca CATHEY).

Until next week,
Becky

And as always please be sure to check out my sister-in-law's blog over at Days of Our Lives.