Auntie's Day: Honoring the Original Auntie Nettie

The spirits of my family have been really active lately in trying to bring our focus back to them. Between babies sharing family names, the genetic legacies of generations showing up on little shiny faces, and other dreams and visitations  - let's just say, I don't believe in "coincidences."

Like this one, I had already been planning a trip to Canada, near Nova Scotia, when a distant cousin, the author of a biography about our shared paternal grandfather, sent me an e-mail letting me know about a family reunion up in Prince Edward Island --the first one ever - the week BEFORE I was due to travel. Hopefully the family was able to visit family sites and pay homage at relevant cemeteries. I hope to join them in future years and reconnect the distant branches of the family tree. This family connection totally explains the "pull" to P.EI. and Canada that has always been quite strong for me.

But I don't need a reunion, or need to visit a cemetery to remember my ancestors - especially my great-something paternal aunt, the original "Auntie Nettie." I can't forget her. We share a name after all.

I always think about her when I have to explain my name, but it wasn't until recently that I tried to find her final resting place so I could properly pay my respects. Poor kid; she doesn't seem to have a headstone.

Rivertrip 2010

middle of Utah

middle of a cemetery

middle of a search for "myself"

 Where are you little one? Are you here? Or were you here?

I knew that she had died young. The frontier life wasn't easy, and childhood life expectancy was short due to illnesses, but until my father was told about Cousin Frank's book and I found "myself" in the index, we didn't know how tragic her death was.

THE ORIGINAL

6/19/1874-4/23/1878

~daughter of Elijah Hiett M. 1832-1925 {son of John Ellison M. 1801-1875 and Sarah Elizabeth B.M. 1811-1894} and Helen Alcy T. 1839-1915

Elijah Hiett M******: A Pioneer Legend by Frank L. M****** [aka Cousin Frank]

Page 147

Elijah set about building a family home in East Lao, in the County of Piute [Utah]--the county subsequently becoming Wayne County in 1891. However, three weeks after moving into their new home, they were saddened by the death of their young daughter, THE ORIGINAL who, at the age of three, accidentally drank some concentrated lye which was in common use within the pioneer homes. It would have easily been mistaken for other liquids. Now, at the age of four years old, she became the first death in East Loa in April of 1878. Knowing that she was near death she requested to be buried alongside her grandfather and grandmother in Cottonwood, Utah – which was the place of her birth. Keeping the promise made to her, Elijah and Helen made the 200 mile, 11 day journey, to the Salt Lake Valley to place her alongside her grandparents, John [Ellison] and Sarah ... (emphasis my own.)

Can you even imagine? If I understand this correctly, she didn't die immediately, but lingered long enough to have a birthday and make requests to be reunited with her grandparents in her childood "hometown." What a horrible way to way to go. At three or four, she should have been running around the yard, helping with the prairie chores -- probably gathering eggs, feeding the chickens, gathering wood, and water from the stream. She would have been bossed by her older siblings, and in turn played with her baby brother.

Now that I have these clues, I plan to go back to find her plot. More importantly, she deserves a marker. I plan to write to the sexton to see if it's possible for her to eventually have some company. A little urn doesn't take up a lot of room, right? - Even in a plot with a child's coffin? If I'm getting a stone engraved, why not getting it engraved for two?  Centuries apart, we are both:

Daughter, Sister, Aunt 

1874-1878
daughter of Elijah Hiett and Sarah Elizabeth

1972-         

daughter of LeRoy C. "Max" and Mary 

Happy Auntie's Day Little One.

Thanks for the name

(even if no one can pronounce it correctly.)

Finally – the Fake Name Finals

With thanks to Jorge Cham at piled higher and deeper.com

This cartoon has totally been my life this week. I’ve been out and about at shows and plays, and have been meeting all kinds of new people. I will fully admit that my real name is not common, but in this age of made-up names, ethnic names, and kids with the names of cable sports channels, I’m losing patience having to re-introduce myself SECONDS later, just because my name isn’t what you expect, say like Jennifer.

To that end, I think it’s time to finalize the Fake Name Contest. (Can’t remember why? See here.)

To summarize, we had nominations (back when the comments were up), and the names listed below were voted on, by you, my reading/lurking public.

Round 3
Tia Juanita Burrita 1 (16%)
Anita Buktoread 0 (0%)
Lewiston Hewitt 2 (33 %)
Mabel Maples 1 (16%)
Janessa Mayfield 2 (33%)

Round 2

June Morgan 2 (28%)

Netalia Mayfield 1 (14%)

Grace Andrekneviel 0 (0%)

Jazmon Jones 2 (28%)

Nellie Mayfield 2 (28%)

Round 1

June Field Maxwell 6 (31%)

Ashford Smalls 2 (10%)

I is Card Cat Alogue's lova 4 (21%)

Juno Maxfielderson 1 (5%)

Gard O'Debooks 6 (31%)

The polls are now open.

Go and vote and help me avoid future awkward social interactions, or at least those stemming from my name and people's lack of listening skills.

10 Random Things about Auntie Nettie

A couple of days ago I was tagged by Xtina of the Monkey Maxfield’s blog. As per her instructions, I am supposed to list ten (10) random things about myself.

RANDOM THINGS ABOUT AUNTIE NETTIE:

1. I am named after my paternal grandfather and a paternal ancestress, a great-great-great something aunt. I have the exact same name as the great(X)-aunt, which means if you Google me and scroll around, it may look like I’ve been dead since 1878.

2. I have no middle name. Neither did my namesake (see above).

3. People mistake and mispronounce my first and surname all the time. It’s ridiculous. Pay attention people. It's like the MONTH. I’m not of Latin or African-American descent. Nor, for that matter, am I related to the coffee people. If you come across an article or book ala The Devil Wears Prada or The Nanny Diaries written by a Juanita Maxwell, I don’t know anything about it (*ahem*). Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Bribes WILL be accepted.

4. My nicknames in high school were Mario (as in Andretti), Crash, and Evil (as in Kneivil) because of my unfortunate propensity to have 'minor' fender-benders. I don’t have a car anymore in case you think things have changed. (I don't care what the ongoing litigation is saying, I still maintain the last one WAS NOT MY FAULT.)

5. I used to play the piano relatively well. Now I just type very fast, and can do so with my eyes closed.

6. In college I was part of a chamber ensemble called the Trio Non Sacra, aka The Unholy Trio. Rehearsals were always fun and filled with cackling, hysterical laughter (oh, except for the Martinu! We had another nickname for that piece). One time the violinist played the piano while I did a “dance” to the rhythmic and percussive accompaniment of the flutist. We did play at Commencement, albeit with a new name and much more decorum.

7. I don’t like heights and one time got severe vertigo on the Empire State Building, but for some reason I want to do a tandem jump out of a plane. Go figure.

8. I’m pretty sure I have a government file. Why? I went to the Soviet Union in high school, have a friend who use to work for the White House Advance Communication Detail, had another friend use me as a reference when she was going to have top-level military language training, and have another friend who used me as a reference to join the tri-state area bar. Do I think Big Brother is watching? YEP! (Payre A. Noid. Party of One. Your table is ready.)

9. For a brief time I considered applying for a job with the CIA -- and I don't mean the Culinary Institute of America. The other one. Yep. That one. As a librarian, granted, but still. Can you imagine? The mind boggles. What was I thinking?! Sydney Bristow I am not.

10. I’m painfully shy. Social situations like parties, gatherings, or any new situations are a nightmare. So how do I do library work, fund raise, “booze and schmooze,” do tours, take classes, date, or leave the house, etc.? Some situations I avoid utterly, others I ease into, some I’ve gotten over completely. It’s a work in progress. This shirt fits me to a T.

There are ten (10) somewhat random things about Auntie Nettie. Hope this helps explain the enigma-wrapped-in-a-puzzle-shrouded-by-mystery that is me.

I guess now I am supposed to tag some other people so I will tag the following unholy friends, Krippy and Jane.