Namesakes: Charlotte Ellen Smith

Installment #2 in my series of namesakes is my paternal grandmother, Charlotte Ellen Smith.  Let's learn about the family members she may have been named after.

Family member name: Charlotte Ellen Smith Webber
Tree branch: Smith
Lifetime: 1915 - 2014
Relation: My grandmother (my dad's mom)

First name: Charlotte

There were two special Charlottes in her parents’ life. Who were they?

Special Charlotte #1:  Her father’s step-grandmother: Charlotte Whitton Gould Hardy Smith

Charles Nelson Smith was my grandmother's father.  His grandmother (Susan Stetson) died before he was born.  But his grandfather remarried just eight months later to a widow named Charlotte Whitton Gould Hardy.  According to the Hardy Family History, her first husband passed away when he was 30 years old aboard a ship bound for San Francisco when a fire destroyed the ship. This Charlotte Hardy Smith was the Smith grandmother that Charles knew from when he was born.  And he grew up nearby his grandparents.  

Did Charlotte treat Charles like he was her own grandchild? Did they have a special relationship? 

Then in 1914, this Charlotte passed away just four months before my grandma was born. Did Charles Nelson Smith want to honor his grandmother's recent passing? If so, he may have named his daughter after her.

Special Charlotte #2:  Her father's aunt: Charlotte H. Morse Gibbs

Uncle Gran (Granville Micah Gibbs) was married to Aunt Lottie (Charlotte Morse).  She seemed to be a favorite among the cousins.  Aunt Lottie was an expert seamstress who would make clothing for family members.

Was Aunt Lottie close with her nephew, Charles and his wife Florence? Could my grandmother be named after her great aunt?  

By naming her Charlotte, they got two for the price of one!

Middle name: Ellen

This is an easy one.  Ellen was the name of my grandmother's maternal grandma, Ellen Fripp Bromley, who was very close to her.

According to the US Social Security Administration, Charlotte was the sixth most popular name for a baby girl in 2019.  Wow, what a comeback!

Sources:

Hardy and Hardie, page 6 - A scanned online PDF file of the Hardy family history

US Social Security Administration - Popular baby names

"My Memories of the Family" - a typed paper copy in my possession written by Pearl K. (Gibbs) Thomas

New England, Select United Methodist Church Records, 1787-1922 page 60 via Ancestry.com

Namesakes: Roger Pearson Webber

What's the story behind your name? 

Today it's common for new parents to choose their baby's name because they like the sound of it, or because it's cool and popular.  (Hi to all the Finleys and Liams out there!)  

This, however, is a departure from the customary naming conventions that have prevailed over the last few hundred years in the United States.  Children were often named after their parents and grandparents.  This is a bonus for genealogists because it helps when following the family line.

This is the first installment in my little series of Namesakes.  Let's find out where our family members got their names, and the possible stories behind them.

Roger Pearson Webber

Family member name: Roger Pearson Webber
Tree branch: Webber
Lifetime: 1914 - 2000
Relation: My grandfather (my dad's dad)

In the case of my grandpa, both his first and middle names were handed down to him.  

• First name: From his dad, whose middle name was Rogers (with an s), which was his grandma's maiden name (that is my grandpa's great-grandmother).  
• Middle name: from his mom, whose maiden name was Pearson.  The Pearsons had lived in New England as far back as 1740.

Follow the orange boxes.