Unraveling the Mystery of a Name

Unraveling the Mystery of a Name: The Farquhar Connection

My great-grandmother, Francis Marguerite Farquhar Symons, was born on March 18, 1884, in Pottsville, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania, affectionately known as “Fannie.” Her parents, Mary Jane Ridington (Bottrall) Symons and William Richards Symons, left us puzzling over her middle name, Farquhar, a name with no apparent ties to our family.

After years of speculation and dead ends, I revisited the census records with a new perspective, considering the neighbors who may have influenced the Symons family. This approach seemed daunting, yet promising, and indeed it was a brilliant move. In communities back then, neighbors often became as close as family, forming lifelong bonds.

On June 4, 1880, the enumerator, John Engle, visited my great-grandparents' home at 616 East Market Street, Pottsville, PA. Though Fannie was yet to be born, the household was bustling with activity. William R. Symons, a Civil and Mining Engineer from Cornwall, England, and Mary Jane, a homemaker, lived there with their children: Florence, 15; William C., 13; Albert E., 10; Linda M., 8; and Maud P., 6. The family had endured the loss of five newborns between 1869 and 1878 and relied on their servant, Honora G. Saylor, for additional support.

The census captured a snapshot of life before Fannie's birth, but it was the mention of a neighbor that caught my eye. Fergus G. Farquhar, a lawyer, lived just down the street at 600 E. Market Street. His wife, Fannie M. (Guiness) Farquhar, shared her first name with my great-grandmother. Both women were about 35 years old and raising children in close proximity, which likely seeded a close friendship.

Tragically, on November 17, 1883, Fannie Margaret Guiness Farquhar died in childbirth along with her infant daughter, Minnie. The community was undoubtedly shaken by this loss. Mary Jane, five months pregnant at the time, would have been deeply affected by the death of her friend and neighbor.

On March 18, 1884, four months after this tragedy, Mary Jane named her daughter Frances Marguerite Farquhar Symons. This gesture, I believe, was more than a nod to a neighbor—it was a tribute to a cherished friend, immortalizing her memory in the name of her daughter.

This discovery not only enriched our family's history but also painted a poignant picture of the bonds formed within those tight-knit communities of the past.

Stacey Wallace Rehbein

Stacey@familydig.net