I have an ancestor from shillington called Asenath HILL (maiden name)which I believe is a name from the old testament possibly connected to Joseph. They were methodists in the mid 19th century and wondered if this may have contributed to them choosing such an unusual name? Rosemary > > From: AudreyJoyceMcC@aol.com > Date: 2006/02/03 Fri PM 07:57:03 GMT > To: BEDFORD-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: [BDF] Unusual Christian names: Hamlet > > Listers > > Does anyone have any Hamlets in their family? > > It seems to crop-up in one branch of my family all the time [usually as a > middle name] as far back as I can trace them...I can't imagine that they knew > Shakespeare's play Hamlet which is the only Hamlet I have heard of outside these > people? Their surname was VOERKER [later Anglicised as WORKER]. > > cathy > > > > > > ==== BEDFORD Mailing List ==== > The Bedfordshire Surnames List can be viewed at: > http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~hughw/bedf.html > > ----------------------------------------- Email sent from www.ntlworld.com Virus-checked using McAfee(R) Software Visit www.ntlworld.com/security for more information

In message <20060204213244.SWRS1154.aamta09-winn.ispmail.ntl.com@smtp.nt lworld.com>, rosemary.hill3@ntlworld.com writes >I have an ancestor from shillington called Asenath HILL (maiden name)which I >believe is a name from the old testament possibly connected to Joseph. They were >methodists in the mid 19th century and wondered if this may have contributed to >them choosing such an unusual name? The less common names with Bible origins were favopured by the nonconformists in general, who were more likely to read their Bibles in depth than the CofE flock. Asenath is not exactly common, but fairly often met with. I wonder what the pet name was? Azzie or Nattie? -- Eve McLaughlin Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society