I discovered that I had a great-uncle named "Tina," which immediately brought to mind the old Johnny Cash song, "a Boy Named Sue." He died at about 5 years of age, so my father didn't know him., and probably didn't even know about him.
My hypothesis: "he" actually was a "she," but had ambiguous genitalia at birth, due to abnormal levels of prenatal sex hormones. Although the birth record and the federal census performed one month after birth list the child as a male, there is no first name on either, which suggests that the doctor and family were uncertain. Tina appears on the death certificate five years later. Over time, the actual sex may have become apparent (e.g., X-rays, which had been discovered several years earlier, may have been in use in the Boston area).
