SURNAME POE IS A NICKNAME
(Please be aware this post was written in 2003 and published at that time in the Houston Chronicle (Houston, Texas) newspaper. Some of the news in this post, therefore, may not be current. Current and future posts on this blog may revisit and update news on this and other posts on this blog. If you have questions and/or suggestions, please send Mic a note using the comment page -Don’t forget to use the orange “subscribe” button to receive new posts-Thanks, Mic)
In 1942 Francis Barnum Culver published an article in the Maryland Historical Magazine about Edgar Allen Poe’s ancestry and some of his family connections. According to Culver the name Poe is a nickname. He said it derived from the Anglo Saxon pawa, the old Norse pa and the Latin pavo meaning peacock. He said Middle English forms include paw, pay and po. There is an old English political song, said Culver, that goes proud as a po. We moderns know the song as a phrase, proud as a peacock.
Edgar Allen Poe’s great grandparents, John Poe and Janet McBride, were married in Ireland in 1741 and came to America in 1743 and his grandfather, David Poe, served as an Assistant Quartermaster General in the Revolutionary War.
Edgar Allen married his first cousin, Virginia Clemm, who died in 1847. She and her death were a big influence in both his literary and personal life. She was the daughter of William Clemm, Jr. and his wife Maria Poe, a daughter of Edgar Allen Poe’s grandparents, David Poe, the Revolutionary War Assistant Quartermaster General and wife Elizabeth Cairns.
MARYLAND BOOKS GREAT REFERENCE SOURCE
Most people with Southern or Middle Atlantic states ancestry will likely, sooner or later, discover they have Maryland roots. A good reference when looking for Maryland ancestry is a two volume set of books published by the Genealogical Publishing Company titled Maryland Genealogies: A Consolidation of Articles from the Maryland Historical Magazine.
Maryland Genealogies contains the names of over 15,000 persons mentioned or featured in nearly a hundred articles published in the Maryland Historical Magazine since the first issue was published in 1906.
Most articles in the magazine begin with the first member of the family in Maryland and trace the male line to the early eighteenth century. Using the New England Register format the immigrant ancestor is described, then his children, then his grandchildren, and so on, generation by generation. The work of the various authors is based mainly on primary sources rather than romantic stories and family traditions.
Maryland Genealogies is available for $79.75, postpaid from GPC, 1001 North Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21202.
GENEALOGY CLASS OFFERED AT HCC
Emily Croom will teach a basic genealogical research class from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday October 18 at Houston Community College’s 1990 Airport Boulevard at Highway 288 campus. Students must pre-register for the class prior to Tuesday October 14 by calling the college at 713-718-5303. The college will be able to give more information including the registration fee which was not available at press time.
Croom is a life long resident of Bellaire and a nationally known author of several books on conducting genealogical research. She is the author of Unpuzzling Your Past now in it’s 4th edition and it’s companion title, Genealogist’s Companion & Sourcebook which was recently released in a 2nd edition.
ARKANSAS STATE SOCIETY MEETS IN LITTLE ROCK
The Arkansas State Genealogical Society will host their Annual Conference Friday and Saturday October 17-18 at the Holiday Inn -East on I-440 in Little Rock. Registration will begin at 4:30 p.m. Friday.
Classes will be taught Friday evening from 6 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. featuring a number of well known speakers. Russell Baker will speak on reading and understanding old records; Lynda Suffridge will speak on land records; Dave Burdick will speak on research on the Internet; and Rhonda Norris will speak on research planning and record keeping.
Cyndi Howells, a dynamic and nationally known lecturer and owner of one of the most popular genealogical websites on the Internet, will be the featured speaker from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Her topics will include a Guided Tour of Cyndi’s List; Commandments of Internet Genealogy; Myths and Misconceptions of Internet Genealogy; and How to Cite Internet Sources.
Registration is $20.00 for Friday only, $40 for Saturday only and $50 for both days. There is a $10% discount for AGS members. Checks should be made payable to AGS and mailed to: AGS Fall Seminar, 5415 C. Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72205. For more information visit the AGS website at http://www.rootsweb.com/~args/seminar.htm or contact Linda McDowell at (501) 918-3056 or by email at mcdowell@cals.lib.ar.us .
ALL TEXAS SEMINAR IN DALLAS
The Dallas Genealogical Society will host an all-Texas records seminar from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday October 27. The featured speaker will be Lloyd Bockstruck, supervisor of the Genealogical Section of the Dallas Public Library and a nationally known speaker, author and genealogical columnist for the Dallas Morning News.
Topics covered in Bockstruck’s lectures will include: Texas land and tax records; Texas military and naval service and pension records; Texas vital records including delayed births, births, deaths, divorces and marriages.
Also covered will be Spanish, Mexican and federal census records; school censuses, Masonic records, biographical compendia, state statutes and convict ledgers.
The seminar will be held in Building E, the Performance Hall of Cedar Valley College, 3030 North Dallas Avenue in Lancaster. Registration for the seminar is $25 for members, $30 for non-members and $35 for anyone not registered prior to October 15.
Checks should be made payable to DGS and mailed to DGS, P.O. Box 12446, Dallas, TX 75225-0446. For more information visit the DGS website at http://dallasgenealogy.org or call the DGS Voice Line at 469-948-1106.
