From: Cathy PORTER-Maynard (In Minnesota)... SUBJECT: The "genesis" of some ancestral names Greetings: For research of ancestral names, etc., a variety of the internet resources are very accessible, and convenient. In researching very old names (that may have Biblical origins) you might find the attached URL for "Bible Gateway" helpful. This website provides a search engine which allows you to *easily* search through MULTIPLE TRANSLATIONS of the Bible by simply typing in a specific keyword, or phrase. This site also contains an "audio" option, which enables you to actually LISTEN to the passage or verse -- which gives us an opportunity to "hear" the pronunciation of these old Biblical names! (SEE: links, attached below). WHICH TRANSLATION TO USE? Different translations of the Bible are largely a matter of personal preference. My sisters and I are probably "typical" laypeople; however, even though we learned the same verses in Sunday school as children, our preferences in Bible translations now differ a bit as adults. We grew up with the King James Version (KJV) -- so, it was most familiar to us. One sister continues to prefer the King James, because she appreciates and loves the old-style language. I, on the other hand, often use the New International Version (NIV) -- simply because it's "user friendly," and is easily deciphered. However, other translations may serve you just as well. A wide variety are easily accessible via the "Bible Gateway" website. Fewer translations are available via the audio option. HARDCOPY RESOURCE: "The Layman's Parallel Bible" is a handy research resource, because it contains four different translations in one large volume ( ! ) -- which makes comparing text very simple. Each page contains the different Bible translations from: 1) The King James Version; 2) The New International Version; 3) The Living Bible; and, 4) The Revised Standard Version. INTERNET RESOURCES: 1) BIBLE GATEWAY: The "Bible Gateway" website (which is not affiliated with a specific church or denomination) allows one to search various translations online by simply typing in keywords. For example, a search using the keyword/name of "Abiah" revealed three possible variations of this name in 1 Chronicles: 1) Nedabiah 2) Hashabiah 3) Rehabiah I did not read the actual verses to determine which of the variations were for males, or females. However, anyone who is interested in attempting to determine the gender of a mysterious ancestor could pursue this further. It could be that "Abiah" is a shortened version of one or more of the above Biblical names; or, possibly a nickname taken from one of the above "gender-specific" names. A bit more research could probably produce more answers. Peace & blessings, Cathy PORTER-Maynard <>< P.S. Another potential resource: *WOODLAND HILLS CHURCH -- online worship services: IF MEMORY SERVES ME (and, it may not!), it seems like the pastor of our church -- who is a well-known author & international speaker, uses the New Revised Standard Version. I'll also enclose website/links for Dr. Gregory A. Boyd's sermons via our Woodland Hills Church* website -- which is a "traditional" GBC church [General Baptist Conference], if anyone is interested in listening to some of the sermons regarding the ACTUAL PEOPLE whose names are referenced within the Bible. It's a fascinating way to learn about the lives of the Biblical folks that some of our ancestors were named after. After reading the book of Job, I can understand why few pioneer parents gave their sons this name! On the other hand, King David was an inspiration to many -- and countless baby boys were named accordingly. Esther was a woman of great strength; a born leader. And, our ancestors bestowed many newborn daughters with awesome name. _______________ LINKS: 1) <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/">Bible Gateway</A>: Type (or, copy & paste): http://bible.gospelcom.net/ 2) <A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bgaudio">Bible Gateway -- *Audio* Bibles</A> http://bible.gospelcom.net/bgaudio ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Assorted links for: Dr. Gregory A. Boyd, Woodland Hills Church, St. Paul, Minnesota: 3) <A HREF="http://www.whchurch.org/whc/">Woodland Hills Church - Site Home Page</A>: Type (or, copy & paste): http://www.whchurch.org/whc/ 4) <A HREF="http://www.whchurch.org/whc/index.asp?PageID=296">Woodland Hills Church - "Listen to Sermons" </A> Type (or, copy & paste): http://www.whchurch.org/whc/index.asp?PageID=296 5)<A HREF="http://gregboyd.org/gbfront/index.asp?PageID=280"> Christus Victor Ministries - Greg Boyd Biographical Info</A> Type (or, copy & paste): http://gregboyd.org/gbfront/index.asp?PageID=280 [end] ==================================================== Re: Heseram, etc. Subj: Re: [MFLR] The name Abiah Date: 2/20/2003 6:56:45 AM Central Standard Time From: <A HREF="mailto:genferret1@yahoo.com">genferret1@yahoo.com</A> To: <A HREF="mailto:MAYFLOWER-L@rootsweb.com">MAYFLOWER-L@rootsweb.com</A> Sent from the Internet (Details) -- snip snip -- ["Heseram"] sounds biblical, but the Genferret can find no instance of this word in the King James Bible. -- snip snip -- =========================================== --- Lois <lekort@attbi.com> wrote: > Since I just finished pleading my case with some new > cousins, what about the name "Heseram?" Some of us > have Bible pages, written by the mother of the eight > children (Not WEBB family). Two people have > "Eseram" as a male, but it is very clear to me that > the name is very clearly "Esterann," sort of like, > "Esther Ann." > > Lois ===================================== Subj: RE: [MFLR] The name Abiah Date: 2/19/2003 8:10:28 PM Central Standard Time From: <A HREF="mailto:jbbullock@earthlink.net">jbbullock@earthlink.net</A> To: <A HREF="mailto:MAYFLOWER-L@rootsweb.com">MAYFLOWER-L@rootsweb.com</A> Sent from the Internet (Details) Various names such as Comfort and Content have been used for children of both sexes, but one name I never expected to see cross the gender line was Ebenezer. Believe it or not, there was a female named Ebenezer. She was clearly listed as the daughter of Thomas & Mary Nichols, b. 3 Aug 1664 in Salisbury, Essex, MA. To further confirm her sex, the records also show she was married to a male, Benoni Tucker, and their children's surnames were all Tucker. [All records found in the Salisbury VRs.] Sorry, if there is a Mayflower connection, I don't know it. Jim Bullock Littleton, CO

--- MayTHREE@aol.com wrote: > From: Cathy PORTER-Maynard (In Minnesota)... > > > WHICH TRANSLATION TO USE? > > Different translations of the Bible are largely a > matter of personal > preference. Be of good cheer humans, your prissy pedagogic pal has recovered from the morning's humiliation and has crept back out into the light. Cathy, thank you for the excellent resource. The choice of Bible translations probably doesn't matter much when one is checking a name, and this is a great place to do that, but it might also be interesting to go to the bible which your ancestors might have used. It was the Geneva Bible which was the favorite of the English Puritans, and the King James version, which was initiated because James despised the Calvinist Geneva translation with what he considered seditious marginal notes, was not even published when the Scrooby congregation left England for Leiden (pub. 1611). Some might argue that it was the Geneva Bible that brought about the migrations of our Plymouth ancestors to the new world. These people would probably be obsessive academics who need to get a life, but still the Geneva Bible, with its marginal notes, was pretty important. The text is online here http://www.reformedreader.org/gbn/en.htm There may be better sites, and there are many essays online relating to the history and impact of this first English translation of the Bible. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/