Cristy, My grandfather's mother's name was Helen Marie Eldred (1848-1911). She married Samuel Prince Chapin in 1873. When my grandfather was born, they named him Burton Eldred Chapin. I think it was a late 19th century custom, and certainly a boon to us family historians, because it gives us clues to our maternal lines. And I have used my maiden surname as my legal middle name for forty years. Julie Chapin Hesson, author, "Mason County, WV, Marriages, 1806-1915" ----- Original Message ----- From: Cristy To: WVKANAWH-L@rootsweb.com Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 7:42 PM Subject: [WVKanawha] Middle Name/Initial Just wanted anyone's opinion on this. I have a Grand Uncle who's name is Ira M. Dunlap. A few days ago, his son Ronnie, emailed me and said that Ira never really had a middle name, but used his mother's maiden name, Myers, as his middle initial. Has anyone ever heard of such a thing and should this be noted (and of course further researched)? Thanks, Cristy ============================== To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237