A Midwife's Tale

[lorienellen.livejournal.com]

I just read A Midwife's Tale which is based on the life of Martha Ballard, who lived in Maine in the late 1700s. I kept a list of the more unusual names as I was reading. All these people lived in Maine between 1785 and 1812.


Men
Beriah
Supply
Chandler (surprised to see this one, I thought of it as a more modern name.)
Ephraim
Theophilus
Cyrus
Shubael
Barnabas
Elihu
Abiezer
Derius
Increase
Eliphalet
Issachar
Hains
Hezekiah
Jabez

Women
Mehettable nn Hitty
Hosea
Parthenia
Nabby
Bathsheba
Beulah
Hepsy
Rhoda
Preuda

Comments

[snoglobel.livejournal.com]

I think John Adam's daughter went by Nabby.

[pirahan.livejournal.com]

Cyrus is one I like. It is a potential name.

[amyeliz.livejournal.com]

I actually know two much older women (both in their 80s) named Bathsheba and Beulah! Fun, interesting list.

[my-lil-bon-bon.livejournal.com]

When my daughter was in utero we called her Beulah until she was born and we gave her her "real name" but we still call her Beulah sometimes ha!

[a-tergo-lupi.livejournal.com]

I think I love Parthenia.

[dragonflyinlove.livejournal.com]

Im in love with Ephraim

[solitudete.livejournal.com]

Supply and... Increase? Looks like they had wacky trendsters back in the day, too.

Fun list though, thanks for sharing. :)

[how-obscure.livejournal.com]

I really like Ephraim. Barnabas is kind of cool in its way.

[mrsduryee.livejournal.com]

I love Theophilus for the Bible character, but admit it sounds like a disease.

Also like Barnabas, Issachar and Jabez.

I don't like any of the girls' names.

[pollysweet.livejournal.com]

Hepsy is probably short for Hepsibah which is one of the few girl names in the Bible.