Mother’s Maiden Name

~ MaryG

You know the top secret security question we all get asked at some point:

What is your mother’s maiden name?

This is the first image that comes up in the WordPress free image library if you type the word “maiden.”

Well, I never seriously considered changing my last name when I got married. So my kids have it easy: my last name is the same as my “maiden” name. I’ve only ever had the one surname. [Actually, I just thought of this: maybe I should secretly choose a “fair maiden” name—like Guinevere or Seraphina—and tell only my kids so they can have an extra tight security question.]

But I digress…before I even start.

The point of this post is that my mother’s maiden name is Powell, which is neither Italian nor Irish—the two ethnicities I have explored the most. I’m half Italian (all of my father’s grandparents were born in Italy) and at least one eighth Irish. (I did a deep dive on that Irish great grandmother on my recent trip to Ireland.)

Well, the ethnicity of the man that my Irish great grandmother married and had six children with (including my grandfather) is more of a mystery. Thanks to my mother’s extensive research, we know his name was David Julian Alonzo Powell and that he was born in Jamaica in 1876. They married in Liverpool, England in 1903, shortly before emigrating to Brooklyn, NY.

He worked as a mechanic and a fireman and died of syphilis at age 43 in New York. His race was listed as “white” in census records and on his death certificate.

Now, David’s brother Henry, from the same two Jamaican-born parents, was classified as “mulatto” on the 1920 US census and worked as a minister in several black churches in the US south before returning to Jamaica.

One of the US churches he served was in Asheville, NC, where a newsletter noted that Rev. Powell was “a quiet cultured Christian gentleman, whose record in the city has been as clean as a hound’s tooth. He is every inch a priest in the Episcopal church. He has been a credit to the colored people in Asheville and they have in turn put a true evaluation upon him.”

Soooo, one brother (my great grandfather) lived as a white person in the US, and the other one (my great granduncle) lived as a mixed-race or black person in the US. Their father, William Henry Powell (my great great grandfather) lived his entire life in Montego Bay, Jamaica. His 1902 death certificate listed his occupation as “baker.” His race is not listed, but it seems almost certain that he and his wife Elizabeth were of mixed Afro-European descent. (Fully white Europeans were a very small percentage of the Jamaican population at that time and typically did not live and work in downtown Montego Bay, whereas Black Jamaicans and mixed-race Jamaicans frequently worked as bakers, carpenters, tailors, and other tradespeople.)

Of course, this begs one of the most challenging questions for those who seek out their roots: were any of my ancestors enslaved? And for mixed-race people, the even more more challenging corollary: were any of my ancestors enslavers? It seems likely, as slavery is how black people got to Jamaica in the first place.

I guess now I’ll have to do some reading on the Afro-Caribbean diaspora.

My grandfather (far left) and his brother (far right) with their minister uncle, Rev Henry Powell and his wife Bertha.

So, my mother’s maiden name leads to Jamaica 🇯🇲

I went to Jamaica with a boyfriend in 1990—way before I had any idea of a genealogical connection with the country.

What’s behind your mother’s “maiden” name?

______________________________

UPDATE: I’ve just learned from Elle’s blog that today (August 1) is a very important national holiday in Jamaica. It’s Emancipation Day, which celebrates the abolition of slavery in the British colonies in 1834.

Happy Emancipation Day, Jamaica. 🇯🇲

Related post:

The Dealbreakers

16 thoughts on “Mother’s Maiden Name”

  1. Wowsah, Mary! Impressive family history. Mine is boring in comparison: French, French, French. I do have a 7x great-grandfather who was a German Jew. That was a surprise and did liven things up at least a little bit.

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  2. That was fascinating—like a Henry Louis Gates segment on PBS (sigh!).

    I read an article about passwords recently that suggested when you’re asked to provide your mother’s maiden name, you should make one up.

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  4. Very interesting read, and delving into family history is so exciting! My ancestors were likely on the side of enslaved (even though there were a few free colored people in Jamaica prior to Emancipation). I also have Irish maternal ancestors (4 generations back) who came as laborers post Emancipation. It would be cool one day to see exactly which West African countries my roots are from, I hope to find that out someday. Thanks for stumbling upon my latest blog post and recognizing our important holiday. It’s celebrated throughout the English-speaking Caribbean and a few other British ex-colonies 🙂

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    1. Thanks for reading my post! How interesting that you have Irish ancestors too. (I remember reading your post about the Scottish-Jamaican connection.) I agree that finding the exact location of your West African roots would be very meaningful. Are you thinking of trying one of those DNA tests? I’ve never done one, but now I’m curious.

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  5. Pingback: The Dealbreakers | 50 Happens

  6. Family histories are so interesting and intriguing. There are so many pieces to the puzzle that don’t quite fit. Or missing pieces left and right. We may never compete the puzzle, but it certainly is an interesting journey. I enjoyed reading this.

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    1. Thank you for reading and so true! For example, my mother has absolutely no idea how or why her Jamaican-born grandfather ended up in Liverpool, and then married an Irish woman before emigrating to the US. We do know that the marriage was against her stepfather’s wishes. He wanted her to marry an older British man and live a life of security in England. So weird to think that we all wouldn’t even be here, if she hadn’t run off with the mysterious Jamaican!

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  8. Cool post! I wish I could find out specific details about my heritage. For an African American that would be challenging even for the DNA industry. I have only scratched the surface at best. Anywho… A more direct answer to your question: My mother’s maiden name has Irish roots. It reflects Northern Ireland Protestant and English influences rather than the Republic. I just finished a little research on this topic for a Word Press Prompt.

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