52 Ancestors,
in 52 Weeks
Week 31:
Favorite Name
Family Finds Charter Oak

Favorite Name

My favorite name is Linda or Belinda, but I do not have any direct, or indirect, ancestors with either name. Or at least none I have discovered. Instead I will write about favorite interesting names of my direct ancestors. Names can be interesting to me because they are unique, humorous, or have a special meaning. My 4th great grandfather Parnick George, 1797-1866, had a unique name. My grandparents Earl and Pearl LaFara had humorous names by association. My 8th great grandmother Patience Hope, 1676-1769, had a name with special meaning, particularly when considered with her sisters Temperance and Comfort.

Parnick George – Unique

When I first discovered this 4th great grandfather I had never seen his first name anywhere before. Parnick, where did that choice of name come from? Parnick George was born in 1797 in Knox County, TN to Travis George and an unknown mother. [1] I have searched through his paternal lineage for the name but have not (yet) found it. I am unsure of his maternal parentage so that is a brick wall for research. I do know the name, Parnick, did pass down in the family. Several of his children, including my direct ancestor his daughter Elizabeth, used Parnick as a middle name for a son. And, the next generation also used Parnick for a middle name choice for a son.

Family Name

The name Parnick disappears among my direct ancestors, but I did a quick search on Ancestry and the name has been carried on. I found 295 records of Birth, Marriage or Death with an exact spelling of Parnick. A quick review of the results show that most these Parnick’s lived in eastern Tennessee, just like my 4th great grandfather. I’ll bet many of these Parnick’s are somehow connected to my Parnick. If anyone finds this post while researching a Parnick, let me know how we connect.

Earl and Pearl – Humorous

I wrote about my paternal grandparents for the 2020 prompt “Close to Home”. [2] My grandmother, Pearl Osborne, 1893-1972, was called “Nanny” by her grandchildren. My grandfather, Earl LaFara, 1888-1928, died at the age of 40 when his children were very young. When he was spoken of by my grandmother, my father or my aunts, he was referred to as “Daddy“. At some point, while I was doing genealogy research, it struck me that my grandparents’ names rhymed. I find it humorous to think they were Earl and Pearl. And, I have not found any other married couples in my family tree with rhyming names. If you have any, let me know.

Earl LaFara 1914
Pearl Osborne 1914

Patience Hope – Special

When I discovered my 8th great grandmother Patience Hope, 1676 – 1769, I thought she had a sweet and meaningful name. [3] Patience and hope often go hand-in-hand. Patience Hope was born in Accomack County, Virginia to parents Captain George Hope and Temperance Waddelowe. What I found more special is Patience’s two sisters: Temperance and Comfort. All three words/names are closely associated with hope. [4] (The sisters had three brothers, but their names were traditional: George, William and Thomas.) If you have a favorite quote, Psalm, or Bible verse featuring patience, temperance, comfort, or hope, let me know.

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” [Romans 15:4]

Conclusion

It’s fun to find interesting favorite names while doing genealogical research. The more unique, humorous, or special a name, it makes that individual all the more memorable. Unusual names are easier to research, too!

McAnally Tartan

SOURCES

  1. Profile for Parnick George, ‘Osborn‘ family tree, Ancestry.com;
    https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/13493206/person/12582470366/facts
  2. Blog post, Family Finds: Close to Home; https://barblafara.com/close-to-home/
  3. Profile for Patience Hope, ‘Osborn‘ family tree, Ancestry.com;
    https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/13493206/person/12585798269/facts
  4. Book, King James Bible, Romans 15:4, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

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Remember Me and I Will Live

Frank Takeo Flucawa

Born Takeo Furukawa on 15 March 1883 in Tottori-Ken, Tokyo, Japan, little is documented of his early childhood. Family oral history stories say that the young Takeo experienced hunger, poverty and the loss of his family. Additionally, the stories tell of friendship, spiritual learning and scholarship.

David L. Osborne: His Indianapolis Homes

My great grandfather, David Louis Osborne, lived at over 20 addresses around Indianapolis between 1876 and 1942. I thought it would be interesting to see all the old buildings and homes where he lived in my hometown of Indianapolis.

The Marriage of David and Jennie Osborne

My great grandfather, David Louis Osborne (1848-1942), was a widower with two young sons in 1886 when he married Jennie Warbington (1857-1918) in Minneapolis on the 27th of May. I decided it was time to put sources to the story.

Do You See A Resemblance?

While working on a family photo project I decided it would be fun to compare side-by-side my father and his parents, at similar ages, to try and discover a family resemblance.

Probate of Jesse King 1868

Jesse King was born in Ohio (probably in the vicinity of Chillicothe) in 1805, he was a son of Philip King and Mary Leah Wright, both of Pennsylvania. Philip King was a farmer, he married Leah Wright in 1801 in Somerset, PA, they had six children, of whom Jesse was the third.

Letter from Sarah Tucker Lafary

A handwritten letter from Sarah Tucker Lafary to the then president of the United States, Grover Cleveland. It was her last appeal for a War of 1812 pension, sadly the pension was denied. The letter gives a glimpse of a woman who had no formal education, a poor farmers wife, then widow, mother of nine, she probably just wanted some independence through an income of her own.

Sarah Smith: Challenge

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week 2: Challenge
So much about genealogy research is a challenge, perhaps the most common challenge is the ‘brick wall,’ meet Sarah Smith. 18?? – 1846

Laferre to LaFara: Unusual Name

The surnames in my tree are typical of common western European names. However, the name that is unusual among these names is MY surname: LaFara.

Luella Pressell: Surprise!

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week 6: Surprise!
Just when you think you know everything about an ancestor, surprise! I thought I knew most everything about my paternal great grandfather David L. Osborne, 1848-1942.

Rumple Family Photo 1895

For all of us who are procrastinating about labeling photos I have one thing to say, “Be considerate of the genealogist of the future!” My maternal grandmother was very good about labeling old family photos, and there is one, in particular, I found very informative.

Conrad Rumple: Bachelor Uncle

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week 10: Bachelor Uncle
My uncles are the marrying kind, sometimes more than once!
I had to go back four generations for a bachelor uncle, my great-great-great uncle Conrad Rumple, 1833-1911.
Conrad was an older brother to my great-great grandfather on my matrilineal line, William Rumple, 1839-1912.

George Lafary and Catherine Landon: Large Family

My great-great grandparents, George Lafary and Catherine Landon, had a relatively small family, three of their six children survived to adulthood. However, they both came from large families of nine siblings and nearly all survived to marry and have children.

In The Paper

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week 13: In The Paper
It’s fun to find articles in the paper mentioning one of my relatives. Mostly they are birth, marriage, divorce and death events. But, it’s the oddball articles in the papers I like the most.

Genealogy Brick Walls

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week 14: Brick Wall
We all have a brick wall, that one ancestor who defies all research. I decided I would work at my brick walls by generation, I broke through the last of my 3rd great grandparent brick walls, now I am working on 4th great grandparents.

Catherine Landon: Out of Place

I realized I did not have a date of death for my great, great grandmother, Catherine Landon Lafary. A fresh search uncovered the date and much more. Out of place, but once discovered, everything fell into place.

Immigrant Ancestors, Fresh Start

52 Ancestors, in 52 Weeks – Week1: Fresh Start.
The varied reasons my European ancestors immigrated to North America for a fresh start.

William and Uva Lafara: Favorite Photo

I have many favorite photos among my collection of family artifacts. Currently, my favorite photo is of two little children from 1916 who were a complete mystery to me until last spring.

Close to Home

My grandparents. Earl and Pearl, met at church, close to home, in 1914,

So Far Away

My great-uncle Frank immigrated to the United States from Japan in 1905 to further his education, so far away

Same Name

I get excited when I discover an ancestor with the same name as a friend, or co-worker, or neighbor. Maybe we are related!