"In Memory Of . . ." anyone know the Graveyard story?
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"In Memory Of . . ." anyone know the Graveyard story?
My husband's grandmother is a Memory (read end of this for graveyard story). Her line goes like this:
Anna James and Isaac Memory of Abatillery, South Wales, had twelve children, including a son named James Memory (b. 4/12/1865, d. 9/7/61). The family immigrated to Ohio (Castle Gardens?) in 1872.
James moved to La Salle, IL and married Anna Janette (Jenny) Randolph. They family then moved many many places, eventually settling in Lodi, CA in 1916. Over the years, they seven children: Harvey, Nora, George, Alden (died at 5), Ruth, William, and James. I have quite a bit of information on James Memory Sr. if anyone is interested.
Harvey Isaac Memory (b.?) married Ethyl Young. They had several children including a daughter named Ruth, who is my husband's grandmother.
Question is: Ruth swears that all Memories are related because the name is made up. It goes something like this: there was a son of English gentry who wanted to marry a poor Welsh girl but the family was against it. They decided to elope. At some point during their elopement, they had to choose a new name so that the husband could hide from his family. They were in a graveyard and saw "In Memory Of" on a grave and decided Memory would be a good last name.
The end of this story is that the young couple got married and boarded a ship to America, which does not tie in with Anna and Isaac immigrating from South Wales (unless Isaac was the gentry kid). I'm trying to get the facts sorted from the fiction.
Does anyone else know this story, or do you have any further information on this branch of the Memory family?
Anna James and Isaac Memory of Abatillery, South Wales, had twelve children, including a son named James Memory (b. 4/12/1865, d. 9/7/61). The family immigrated to Ohio (Castle Gardens?) in 1872.
James moved to La Salle, IL and married Anna Janette (Jenny) Randolph. They family then moved many many places, eventually settling in Lodi, CA in 1916. Over the years, they seven children: Harvey, Nora, George, Alden (died at 5), Ruth, William, and James. I have quite a bit of information on James Memory Sr. if anyone is interested.
Harvey Isaac Memory (b.?) married Ethyl Young. They had several children including a daughter named Ruth, who is my husband's grandmother.
Question is: Ruth swears that all Memories are related because the name is made up. It goes something like this: there was a son of English gentry who wanted to marry a poor Welsh girl but the family was against it. They decided to elope. At some point during their elopement, they had to choose a new name so that the husband could hide from his family. They were in a graveyard and saw "In Memory Of" on a grave and decided Memory would be a good last name.
The end of this story is that the young couple got married and boarded a ship to America, which does not tie in with Anna and Isaac immigrating from South Wales (unless Isaac was the gentry kid). I'm trying to get the facts sorted from the fiction.
Does anyone else know this story, or do you have any further information on this branch of the Memory family?