Irene Ratliff b. 1916 in Oklahoma, she was the daughter of Joe and Elsie Ratliff. Joe called her "Sox" when she was tiny, but eventually changed it to "Boots". I myself did not even know her real name until I was a grown woman with family of my own, never thought to question it not being Boots as every one called her that. When Boots was born her mother named her. Hallie Loraine Ratliff, and she wrote it in her little blue birthday book that I still have today. Boots' birth was registered by Doc Newman under "Baby girl Ratliff". The Census taker came one year and Elsie was gone, either by the fate of her death or just not at home as up until this very moment I had not thought to check out the Census reports... hummm.. Back to the story, any way. Joe was the one interviewed and he could remember all three of the oldest girls names, but for the life of him his youngest daughter's name he could not remember. She was Boots, just Boots. He did recollect that the name had contained a "rene" or "raine" in it, so he got to running possibilities through his head. He also remembered that Elsie had named her in the memory of her best childhood friend who had been taken by the fever. "Hallie" So with those two clues he chose a name for Boots. Hallie Irene Ratliff. It stuck for the purposes it was needed for at the time. (she went by Irene at school) Now Boots, she grew up thinking her name was Hallie Irene and never knowing it was any different. But a time came in her life to prove her identity and so she sent for her birth certificate. When it came it was of no value, unless she decided to call herself "Baby Girl". It was critical that she prove who she was and the reasons were so that she could escort her husband out of the country as his work required him to live else where for a few years. She wrote home and found Doc Newman to still be alive, thank heavens. He was willing to sign an affidavit stating that he knew Boots, from her spanking new days clean through to these days. And could confirm her name as given, and who her parents were and all the detail that was required. Boots was one of the lucky ones concerning her birth certificate. We had heard of a few others who did not find out their certificate's situations being - Baby girl this, or Baby boy that - until after Doc had passed on and could not testify for them. I am remembering that Elsie must have been alive during the time of the census, as one time a little girl came to ask for Irene at the door and Elsie not being in the habit of calling her that... she almost told the child that there was no one there by that name. So, yes she was surely not home then when the census taker came. I can not imagine Elsie forgetting her own daughter's name that she herself had given her. As far as me not finding out what Boots' real name was until I was an adult was nothing. The funnier part of it was that my mother, her very own sister, did not find out that she was a Loraine instead of an Irene.... until she and I were reading the Birthday book and I was memorizing the family birthdays. I read, Hallie Loraine Ratliff and asked Mama who that was and she did not know. So she looked at the book herself and the date and tired to find Boots and could not. She turned every page of that book looking for Boots and we come to the conclusion that since the name Hallie Loraine was listed on Boots' day in Elsie's hand, it must have been her. Joe finally fessed up to not knowing his daughter's name and then telling us the story. Makes no never mind what her real name was now, except for the memory of her mother having called her something different... Boots was Boots, no matter what. Kelly ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]