Charles and Martha Cheesebrough

The historical research of the life, ancestors and descendants of Charles and Martha Cheesebrough.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Nellie or Martha? What's in a Name?

A question was posed to me by a great-grandchild of Charles:  "Why does it say "Martha" for the first name of my great-grandmother?  All of the family records given to me... say "Nellie"..."

The marriage record posted last week indicated that Charles Cheesebrough married Nellie B. Hulings.  Every record since her marriage lists her as Nellie.  Every photograph that I own lists her name as Nellie.

So, why is Martha Hulings listed on the header of the blog?

The marriage record lists her father, Samuel B. Hulings, giving consent to the marriage.  During my research, I found the 1870 census record for Samuel and Sarah Hulings.  On the second page of the record it lists two daughters, Clara and Martha.  Martha's age is listed as the fraction 7/12.  The census is a record of the people as of June 1st, 1870.  Seven months prior would be November 1869.  This must be Nellie!













I have spent months searching for an 1880 census record or a birth record that may shed additional light on this question.
No matter what, she will always be know to family as Nellie!

1 comment:

  1. Name spellings are always such a challenge! I had a hard time with the name Ronaldo in a late-1800s, caucasian family from Maine. Nick-names are fun to learn too, they are especially telling of our ancesters' personalities.

    ReplyDelete