When I began my research into my maternal ancestry, I was easily able to get copies of my parent’s birth and marriage certificates. From there going back a generation to my grandparents, when I got a copy of my maternal grandmother’s birth certificate, it did not include a middle name. So many questions popped into my head:
- “Was my grandmother not given a middle name at birth?
- “Where did that ‘A’ come from?”
- “Why did my mother’s birth certificate have a middle initial of “A” for her mother?”
The answer is simple: She wanted one, so her parents gave her one after her birth—but never officially updated her birth certificate to reflect this new fact.
The rationale behind that thought process of wanting one was, “If both of my siblings had [a middle name (Earle and Ruth, respectively)], why couldn’t I?” So, her parents gave her the middle name of Alberta.
There is also a lot more to Nan’s story of her name—she was “Phyl” to family, “Kim” to friends; she signed documents “P. Kim Bowie” and sometimes Kim Bowie. No rhyme or reason, just whatever she felt like at the time.