Dear Rose, Dea. means deacon. Other questions will, I'm sure, be answered by our very esteemed senior researchers. However, for pronouncing some Mass. cities, only a Mass. native can do that because they sound totally different than spelled, espectially Worcester. It really is pronounced: Wister, with a small i. Other good ones: Leominster: Leminster. Quincy: Quinzy, etc. Who knows why, but that's just the way it is!! Lyn Rose Zella wrote: > I'm really getting into this family stuff but find myself still > incredibly stupid. > I do believe that the practice of genealogy is 'disturbing the dead and > irritating the living' so I have been going real slow as I > really don't want to irritate or offend some of the really hard working > researchers. > But I do have some questions that I just don't know-for instance I have > found an ancestor, Capt. Jonathan Whitney > also know as Dea. Jonathan Whitney. What does the Dea. mean? > Then this is just a "What do you think?" > I have been watching the PBR (Professional Bull Riding) at Worcester, > Mass. I can't help but wonder what our hard > working and probably stately Whitney ancestors would think of making > money riding bulls! > Also how do you pronounce Worcester? The announcer says-Wooster like > rooster. > Sorry I know the last one is dumb. > Rose Zella