Thursday, April 25, 2013

A to Z April Challenge: V is for Virenda


This is Day 22 of the A to Z April Challenge.  My theme is women with unusual names although I must cheat now and then or I’ll have a name and no story.

is for Virenda Jane Shiflett.  My third great grandaunt, Virenda descended from one of the oldest families in Orange County, Virginia and married into one of the other oldest.  She was daughter of Jacob Shiflett and Mary Polly Self Jarrell; granddaughter of John and Mary Mobb Self and John and Susannah Davis Shiflett; great-granddaughter of Thomas and Patience Shiflett.

Virenda was born about 1821 and in 1844 married Michael P. “Miley” Frazier.  Incidentally, Virenda’s brother Burton and Miley’s sister Nancy also married; they are my 3G grandparents.

Virenda and Miley had at least 8 children, 2 girls and 6 boys. 
  • Julia Ann (1845 - )
  • John T. (1847 – 1860)
  • Henry Timber (1849 – 1931)
  • Jacob Emanuel (1853 - )
  • Austin Jackson (1855 – 1920)
  • Jacob Mitchell (1859 - )
  • Polly Jane (1862 – 1936)
  • George D. (1866 - )

Virenda’s name was carried on when their son Austin Jackson and his wife Nancy Morris Frazier named a daughter after her. 

Virenda was grandmother to Mahulda Jane Frazier, the subject of the popular “M” post.

I don’t have an exact death date for Virenda, but in 1900 the widowed Miley Frazier was living with his daughter Polly, so it’s safe to assume she died between 1880 and 1900. 

Why don’t you Vege out and Venture over to the A to Z April Challenge to View a Veritable Vortex of Veracious Verbalization before they Vanish.



© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

15 comments:

  1. Another very unusual name but a very pretty one also.

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    1. I like this one too -- I think it's time for a comeback.

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  2. I have never heard of the name Virenda before. I guess if you had twin girls you could name them Virenda and Brenda.

    Hugs, Wendy!

    Kathy M.

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    1. Triplets: and Linda
      Quads: and Melinda

      Oh Kathy - I'm going to be missing Sepia Saturday this week. My first miss in over a year. BOO HOO -- I just couldn't get it together before leaving for the lake.

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  3. I agree: Virenda is a pretty name.

    Have a nice Thursday. ☺

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    1. It's a beautiful Thursday here in VA. 4 days left of AtoZ. What a fast month!

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  4. Good night, Wendy, just when I think you can't have anymore "unique" names! This one is pretty. I am uber excited to see what you have in store for Z!

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  5. I'm with Heather, Wendy--only it's "X" I'm waiting for. There's always a spare Zelda to call upon for such roll calls as these :)

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    1. No Zelda for me -- but I have an X you don't want to miss. Yeah, I'm all that and a bag of chips! But seriously, "X" is pretty good, even if I say so myself. And I do.

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  6. I was for sure there would be a Violet for V! Can't wait to see X!

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    1. I'm glad I could come up with something a bit more unusual than that. HA!

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  7. An usual but pretty name. I wonder where it originates from?

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    1. Sharon, I don't know. The closest I could find is "VirendRa" of Hindi origin meaning "brave, noble person." But I can't even begin to imagine how my ancestors thought of it.

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