E is very popular in my family file. There 20 females named Edith, 25 named Edna, 56 males named Edward, 18 females named Eileen, 60 named Elizabeth, 23 named Ellen, 29 named Elsie, 20 named Emily, 15 named Emma, 27 males names Eric, 37 named Ernest and 28 females named Ethel. Obviously names starting with E were very popular. These are not counting the other names: Edgar, Earle, Edwin, Edwina, Effie, Eleanor, Elijah, Elmo ...
So which E will I choose? I choose Elizabeth Hannah Young, my 2nd great-grandmother. Elizabeth Hannah was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1846, came to Australia in 1865 and married Joseph Antoney on the 30th July 1867 in Bowen, Queensland. Joseph gave Elizabeth a gold locket and chain for a wedding gift, and this has been handed down to the eldest daughter ever since. All female direct descendants have worn the locket on their wedding day as something old, including my daughter-in-law. After my mother's death, the locket is now in my custody for the future. An awesome responsibility.
Elizabeth is a feminine given name derived from the Greek Ελισάβετ (Elisabet, modern pronunciation Elisávet), which is a form of the Hebrew name Elisheva (אֱלִישֶׁבַע), meaning "My God is an oath" or "My God is abundance". "Elizabeth" appears in the Old Testament as the name of Aaron's wife ("Elisheva"), and in the New Testament as the name of the wife of the priest Zechariah and mother of John the Baptist. It has also been the name of several saints and queens (Wikipedia).
I'm sure you must have an Elizabeth, what is her story?
This post is part of the 2015 Blogging from A to Z Challenge. My theme is Names: First Names from My Family File. Stay tuned for the rest of the alphabet, and if you'd like to check out the other A to Z participants, simply click here.
I love that story about the locket. What a precious gift and I like that it has to be given or passed on as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alex it is a beautiful oval locket with an Irish harp on both sides
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