This is Day 16 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 Parmela Eppard Samuels. She was my third great grandaunt, sister to
my 3G grandfather William Eppard, and thus sister-in-law to Helena Foland
Eppard (about whom I wrote for “H”).
Daughter of Johann George and Catherine Beasley Eppard, Parmela
was born November 1808 in the Naked Creek area of Rockingham County, Virginia,
in the heart of Eppard country. Even after she married Joseph Hiram Samuels,
Jr. on August 28, 1828, they remained
close to their Eppard and Samuels families.
In every census record from 1830 to 1900, their nearest neighbors were
Eppard, Samuels, Smith (lots of Smith-Eppard weddings along Naked Creek!), and
Jollett (Smiths and Jolletts married too).
Parmela and Joseph had 6 children:
- Frances Caroline (1830 - )
- Joseph Hiram III (1834 - )
- Sarah Elizabeth (1837 – 1925)
- Amanda Catherine (1840 - )
- George Franklin (1846 – 1920)
- Greenberry (1849 – 1937)
For more Pontificating and other Pieces in Print, Pop
over to the A to Z April Challenge.
©
2014, Wendy Mathias. All rights reserved.
Must have been very nice to have the family living close by.
ReplyDeleteI would think so too. It's really rather sweet looking at old census records and seeing families living as neighbors, and seeing the same familiar names time after time.
DeleteAnother unusual name. Is it a version of the more usual Pamela? I was intrigued by the name of her last child - Greenberry - was that a son or a daughter? I have never heard of that before.
ReplyDeleteI wonder about that, but in all the records her name has that R in it although it's not always spelled the same. She's been Parmela, Parmelia, Permelia.
DeleteGreenberry was a son. Yeah, that name is a puzzle.
I was wondering about Greenberry, too. Such an unusual name!
ReplyDeleteI guess Greenberry is similar to Huckleberry. HA
DeleteParmela did right by her first four children in giving them fairly common names to go with Samuel. Now number five....hmmmm....Greenberry Samuel. Let me take a stab at this one: l. craved blue berries but had to eat them green...time of year. 2. conceived beside blue/green berry bush down by Naked Creek. Okay...there ya go...you can pick the gender.
ReplyDeleteMy Letter 'P'...Prolific Patchwork Pattern Piecer
Sue CollectInTexasGal
AtoZ LoneStar Quilting Bee
HA -- there has to be a story to that name, and your take on it is as good as any. But there were lots of "Berry" names in the Shenandoah Valley. I have a Mickelberry and a Berryman. I've seen a Brightberry in various records, but he's not mine.
DeleteThat's quite an unusual name , the more anglicized form people use today is Pamela, but Parmela sounds really nice. Glad to discover new names :)
ReplyDeleteI've always like Pamela - so refined sounding. "Parmela" has a bit of a back-woodsy sound to my modern ears.
DeleteNice to see you again!
I think Naked Creek must have been the place to live.
ReplyDeleteEvidently! Anyone who was anyone lived at the creek.
DeleteSounds downright neighborly in Naked Creek:)
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it?
Delete