This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: kshrockjones Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.missouri.counties.jackson/6750.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: It was not at all uncommon for grandparents of that era to come live with their children and grandchildren after the death of a spouse. In some families is was also the tradition that a child or grandchild live with an elderly relative and become their helper as they aged and became more frail. In return, they were often given the bulk of the estate. Census records may not have listed the parents if they were traveling or out of the home on the day of the census taking. Elizaeth's father may have been George Porter and she may have been born to Mayme outside of her marriage to Jesse Perkins. If Jesse was a step-parent, that may also be a reason why Elizabeth lived with her grandmother. Mayme J Perkins seems consistent with Mayme Jennie/Jennifer Perkins. Mayme may have been a given name or a nickname. In some family even today it is common for members to be known in the family by a name that has no relation to the name they were given at birth. For example, my granddaughters' other grandmother's given name is Frances JoAnn, but everyone knows her as Susan for some reason. Another example is my grandmother whose birth name was Agnes Josephine and she was always know to her family as Pete, which was short for Peaches. I even found her listed in the 1920 census at Pete. Well, she hated her name and changed it to her confirmation name of Patricia which she used legally the rest of her life, but everyone knew her as Mike, which is the nickname that my grandfather gave her when they met. He used to say that it was the name you could shout the loudest and it would carry the farthest. I kind of think now that it might have had something to do with the Tracy-Hepburn! movie Pat and Mike. Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.