Conference oass::babynames

    I am reminded of Silas Marner (the book).
    
    K.C.

    Jenny,
    
    I am also interested in Early New England garvestones and have made
    several rubbings over the years.  The name Silas was very common in
    the 17th and 18th centuries and I believe its roots are Old English.
    I'm not sure of the meaning off-hand, but I can check in some books
    I have at home.  BTW - What cemeteries do you visit?  There are some
    great ones in Marblehead, MA.
    
    - Kathryn
    

    Me too.  Silas Marner is about a man who is a miser until (for some
    reason which I can't remember) an infant girl with curls of gold
    comes into his care.  Then he realizes she is more precious than
    all of his money.

    I kind of like Silas, but my husband would NEVER agree to it.

    -Amy

    re: .1, I was also reminded of a character in a book
    I read in college:  The Rise of Silas Lapham.  It was
    actually very good.  He was a New Englander, too.
    
    re: .2, We have visited many cemeteries in the Bolton,
    Lancaster, Stow, Harvard, etc. area.  We will be doing
    some in Connecticut and New Hampshire over the next
    couple of long weekends that we have coming up.  I am
    really looking forward to it!  I'd be interested to 
    hear about the ones in Marblehead... you can write to
    me on SOCIAL::WHITCOMB, if you get a chance.
    
    -Jen

    When I see the name Silas, I picture an ugly old man.  I wouldn't
    want to name a baby boy an ugly old man name.
    
    Lorna
    

    re:.0
    
    I'm another father-to-be again, have New England roots, and
    have an ancestor from Conn. who was named Silas. AND, like yourspouse,
    have considered using the name somehow if we have son.
    
    Well, it is a bit old fashioned, isn't it? But I don't think
    I'd picture an ugly old man.
    
    Silas means "of the forest" and is related to the names 
    Sylvanus, Sylvester, and Sylvia, I believe. Silas is actually
    a diminutive form of Sylvanus, I think.
    
    The Silas in my family, a great-great grandfather, was the son
    of a Sylvester. Silas had an interesting life, was an
    abolitionist and temperance advocate, and travelled to the
    West after the Civil War. Many photos of this Silas lend
    credence to the family lore that he was a stern old son-of-gun,
    etc.
    
    My wife and I like the name because it is not weird but may be
    a bit too old-fashioned. The fact that there is a note in this
    conference about the name indicates to me that I'm not completely
    off in choice of names. Of course, none of these replies is too
    encouraging.
    
    Silas Marner and Silas Lapham are the two Silases from literature
    that I know of.
    
    By the way, Silas, and the above related names, are Latin in origin
    (the sylvan plain; Pennsylvania = Penn's forest ; etc.)
    

    Footnote to .6:
    
    What I meant to say was that Silas is an unusual but not weird
    name, a combination that is hard to come by with what mainstream
    America dictates as acceptable boys' names (Dave, John, Dan,
    Mike).
    
    Silas also  can always be shortened to Si.
    
    How many Zacharys or Christophers are there in our generation
    (30s-40s)? Who would have thought that those names would have
    become as popular as they are? As for girls' names, there is
    more choice in this culture, but Emily and Sarah are very
    old-fashioned names that have become very popular. How
    many parents are naming their children Susan or Debbie or
    Carol (all good '40s and '50s names -- think of your classmates
    from grade school and college) these days? Now it's Nicole
    or Melissa, etc. (Or Melyssa!)
    
    Silas is a good choice with a "vanilla" last name such as
    Jones, etc.
    
    Or at least one to consider...

    (For J. Johnson...)
    
    I brought your reply home to Roger, my husband, and he
    salutes you!!  Another vote in his favor!  We may see
    a Silas born into our family yet!!
    
    J.

    Re .6, the reason I picture Silas as an ugly old man is because
    I associate the name with the character Silas Marner, whom I always
    pictured as an ugly old man.
    
    Lorna
    

    
    Lorna,
    
    Not to get off the subject, but thought I should reply...
    
    From what I remember of Silas Marner, he is not an attractive
    figure. He is miserly, lives as a hermit, and is somewhat
    bent over or lame in some capacity. George Eliot doesn't really
    say he is outright ugly, but by his behaviour, he is not a
    human being we might take to right away...yet we recognize something
    of ourselves in this pathetic creature who weaves all day and
    hoards his gold under a floor board in his humble home. What
    a dreary existence.
    
    As the story unfolds, we learn what happened that made Silas
    Marner turn his back on society, or at least a significant event
    that shaped his cynical attitude toward his fellow human beings.
    
    Silas Marner is a romance in the great tradition of Shakespeare's
    romances (The Tempest, etc.). There is a happy ending. Silas learns
    through love for a foundling left on his door sill on a Christmas
    Eve that there is more to life than earning one's daily bread
    and hoarding the interest.
    
    The weaver from Raveloe, although physically uncomely, becomes
    morally beautiful.
    
    Silas Marner is one of the best crafted short novels I've read.
    George Eliot delivered a wonderful message with such an economy
    of words and within a plot structure that is almost transparent
    to the reader. The plot does not intrude on the telling of the
    story; plot and story seem to flow along as one and the same.
    
    The ugly people in this story include the ill-willed son of
    the local landed gentleman who steals Silas' money; Silas'
    friend and the community who turned on him (an innocent man
    is done wrong); and the father of the little girl left at
    Silas' door (he doesn't want to play papa until he is
    "without issue" by his lawfully wedded wife, then he decides
    to do the right thing, acknowledge his paternity, and
    take proper Victorian responsibility for the matter. Of course,
    at that point, The little girl is about 16, I think, and knows
    no other father than Silas, and does not want to live with
    the people up in the big house.)
    
    Among the many things one can conclude from this story, I
    think Eliot is saying that although one can be wronged badly
    in life, as was Silas, hang in there, try again, keep the
    faith in yourself, we are all capable of renewal. This a
    Christmas story after all.
    
    Well, I guess that's all I'll say for now. I really like this
    book. I hadn't read it until I was an adult, in my 20s.
    And they used to let grade school kids read this! Pretty
    heavy stuff, some of it.   

    Silas reminds me of cowboys.  There was always a Silas in the old
    cowboy movies.  Silas, Dalton, Cody, Shane, Jesse, etc.
    
    If you're not quite sure of it as a first name, why not use it for a
    middle name????
                                       

    
    My spouse thinks it has possibilities as a middle name, too.
    A number of more common boys' names go well with it.

    Re .10, very interesting book report on "Silas Marner." :-)  I had
    to read it in high school and enjoyed it, although I didn't remember
    all the details.  I think that the book we had in school had a drawing
    of a very homely old man who was supposed to be Silas Marner, and
    I think that drawing still comes to mind when I hear the name, hence
    my image of "an ugly old man."  (not necessarily ugly in spirit,
    tho, by the end of the book)
    
  The mention of early ancestors and old grave stones made me remember
    some of the names of some of my early ancestors.  My mother's father's
    family settled in Massachusetts in 1645, and he traced the family
    at one time.  I remember great-great-great,etc.-grandfathers with
    the following names: Zibah, Caleb, and Lorenzo!  (Feel free to borrow
    any that appeals to you!) :-)  I'm surprised we didn't have a Silas.
    
    Somehow I doubt Zibah will ever catch on....
    
    Lorna
    

    Some other names that probably will never "catch on" (re: .13):
    
    Experience                   
    Temperance
    Welcome
    
    Yep, these were all the first names of long-departed ancestors.
    Experience was a female. Temperance and Welcome were males.
    
    Examples of names better left on the flyleaf of an old Bible
    or other historical document.

    Speaking of "out-of-date" names, here are some that my husband and I
    have pulled out of old Vital Records, or off of old grave stones:
    
    Relief (We've seen multiple spellings for this one;)
    Leafy
    Releaf
    Patience
    Asa
    Aschah
    Hepzebah
    Ruhamah
    
    
    Etc., etc.!!  We have found some real beauties!

    
    I spotted this one in the cemetery behind my Aunts house -
    
    Septimus Augustus Halfpenny
    
    I really can't help feeling sorry for the poor man.
    
    Jacqui

    I can only imagine what cruel nicknames kids would come up with
    today--for a name like "Septimus."  I wonder what it means... probably
    something like "seventh."  Maybe he was a seventh son--of course I'm
    assuming it was a man's name--maybe I could be wrong there, too!
    
    J.

    
    RE: .15
    
    So, you've seen "multiple spellings for "Relief"?
   
     This begs the question, how do YOU spell relief?
    
    R - O - L - A - I - D - S  perhaps?!
    
    Rollo, Rolly, Roland, maybe?
    

    Wa-ha-ha!!! Ha! Hee-ha-haaa!!
    
    (...oh, my stomach....)
    
    
    

    RE: .14, .15, and all gravestone comments
    
    Patience and Prudence are still used (although they are uncommon) for
    girls.  And just think what future generations (if there are any on
    this earth!) will think of the gravestones of Dweezil and Moon Unit
    Zappa, Chastity Bono and Elijah Blue Allman!  Frank preferred to make
    up his names, and Cher seemed to favor "old fashioned" names.  And I
    read somewhere that Barbara Hershey's has a child name Honesty (but I
    could have the wrong actress).
    
    And don't forget that Faith, Hope, and Charity were very popular names
    for girls - Faith and Hope still are.
    
    Had I read .0 some time ago, I would have immediately responded "Yuck! 
    How could you think about doing that to a child?!"  After reading J.
    Johnson's comments, however, I like the name a lot more (although I'd
    probably use it as a middle name).
    
    Susan
    
    PS:  I didn't realize George Eliot wrote _Silas_Marner_.  The only
    version I read was the Classic Comics version - and he wasn't terribly
    attractive!

    .20
    
    Barbara Hersey's child's name was Free.  I believe Keith Caradine was
    the father.  When Free was older (early 20's; just recently in fact)
    he had his name legally changed to something simple like James, I
    believe.  
    
    .........Just a FYI piece of tidbit.......
    
    Anna
    
    

    
    re: .20 Thanks. I'm glad you may see "Silas" in a different
            light. The damage those Classics Illustrated do!
    
    And thanks for pointing out that there are some names from
    earlier times that are still usable (Hope, Patience, etc.)
    in some combinations (such as middle names, or maybe an unusual
    surname). I didn't include these particular names in my
    reply about old family names because I think they could
    still be used. Old fashioned perhaps, but still breathing.
    
    re: .21  BTW, I think singer/rocker Grace Slick has a son
              named god (yes, lowercase intentional). Unsure
              of surname (!). And don't forget David Bowie's
              son, Zowie, who, I think, changed his name (or
              had it changed by his mother) to Joey.
    
    Dear reader/parent-to-be, don't do anything such as these people
    did! There are distinctive and unusual names to give your
    child without resorting to choices such as these. If you must,
    well I suppose you will have good reasons for it, but then you
    won't have to answer to me for it, but to...

    RE: -
    
    WOW! WHAT A NAME CONCEPT
    
    
    			...
    
    
    A great 'ongoing' middle name ;-)

    re: .23
    
    re: - (a great concept)  I guess I would qualify as being one of those
    people!  No middle name??
    
    But I wonder how you would pronounce " ... " ??!
    
    J.