Thursday, April 11, 2013

A to Z April Challenge: J is for Jerusha

This is Day 10 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 Jerusha L. Davis, my great-grandaunt  and sister to my great-grandfather.  She was the fourth of thirteen children born to Mitchell and Martha Ann Willson Davis.   With some of the children sporting names like Zedekiah, Amaziah, Zibiah Saloma, and Zephaniah, I wonder if my great-great grandparents were especially religious.  Jerusha is an Old Testament name of Hebrew origin meaning “inheritance” or “legacy.”  In the Bible, Jerusha was wife of Uzziah and mother of King Jotham of Judah.

Jerusha Davis, however, did not live long enough to become wife or mother to anyone.  She was born March 5, 1853.  Ten years later she was the first of three children to die in 1863:  Jerusha (age 10) on June 28, Zedekiah (age 15) on July 11, and Ann (age 13) on July 15.  Likely they were victims of typhoid fever.

It is not right for parents to outlive their children.  I cannot fathom the heartache of burying three within weeks of each other.


For a more Jolly time, Jump on over to the A to Z April Challenge.




© 2014, Wendy Mathias.  All rights reserved.

15 comments:

  1. What a lovely name. I also can't imagine the heartache of losing children.

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  2. Your theme is such a fascinating one and one that appeals to me greatly. How wonderful to have such distinctive names in your family - a great source of blogging stories.

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  3. Oh, that is so sad. I never heard of some of those names before.

    You will actually have something for Z!

    Kathy M.

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    1. Yep, but I think I did a post about ol' Zibiah at some point. Maybe last year's A to Z!!

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  4. I know a present day Jerusha who is a printmaker and a bookmaker. She does wonderful work.

    That is so very sad about the children dying of typhoid fever.

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    1. When I was looking up the meaning, I ran across a baby name site and a number of young girls named Jerusha had left comments.

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  5. Let's hope that Mitchell and Martha were 'especially religious' in order to cope with the loss of three children. There has been much written about the Typhoid Fever of 1863. My great grandfather's adult twin brothers died within minutes of each other...just as they had been born.

    An unusual name, Jerusha...I've not heard it before. I hope Zibia Saloma was a girl...you'll be fixed for 'Z'.


    Sue CollectInTexasGal
    AtoZ LoneStar Quilting Bee

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    1. Except that I think I mentioned Zibiah last year on my Z post for A to Z.

      I've read of cases where twins died within minutes of each other under "ordinary" circumstances, not in tragic moments.

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  6. That must have been tough to lose 3 in one year. What a sorrowful time it must have been. I really like the name Jerusha. I've not heard that before.

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    1. All three must have been sick for awhile, so the family was probably expecting it, but still the reality was horrible.

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  7. aww, I didn't know this =( too sad. It is so awful to even think about.

    Love the name!

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