What Common name could the name "Ferriby" actually be a nick name for?

+6 votes
522 views
I have a Ferriby Harper could possible be Hopper just according to what census taker recorded, who married John F. Turner in Alabama.  Cannot ifnd information on a Ferriby, .could this be a nick name?    What are your thoughts? Harper-8485
WikiTree profile: Ferriby Turner
in Genealogy Help by Deborah Dunn G2G6 Mach 3 (30.4k points)
recategorized by Jillaine Smith
type "Ferriby name meaning" in google and there is some reading there.
Verity?

The wife of Alexander Penninger-155 is so named. She has two profile under different spellings. I have her in my tree as:

Pheraby Ann Wiggs

BIRTH 1830 • Wayne, North Carolina, United States

DEATH 15 MAY 1860 • Union, Illinois, United States

 
Daugher of Lazarus Wiggs and Sarah Brewer
Lazarus son of  Thomas Wiggs and Fereby Brown
1849 Marriage - Forebain Wiggs
1850 US Census  Ann Penninger

 

FIND A GRAVE has an engraved gravestone  Ferba A wife of CJ Sitter.  Cited as dau of Mary Wiggs and John Penninger   https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/137949042/ferba-sitter

So the name was common in Penninger and  Wiggs families.

 

 

 

It's probably after the surname Fereby (and variants). With names like that, you usually have to contend with creative spellings and misconstructions of the name. Just use common sense. How many ways can you think to spell "Fair-uh-bee"? Look for all of those, use wildcard searches a lot. "F*b* Turner" is probably your best bet, but I'd probably do "Ph*b* Turner" too to be safe. Remember, Southern English drops r sometimes, so don't count on the r showing up in all cases, like "Faby Turner" wouldn't surprise me a lot.
I am totally amazed at all the information and suggestions fromyou all.  Thanks! to Everyone!!

5 Answers

+8 votes
 
Best answer

Ferriby is a surname that was often given to offspring, especially girls. With a little digging, you may find that Ferriby was her mother's or grandmother's maiden name. I have several Ferribys in my husband's tree and mine as well.

Farebee Harper

United States Census, 1850

Name Farebee Harper
Event Type Census
Event Year 1850
Event Place Randolph county, Randolph, Alabama, United States
Gender Female
Age 14
Race White
Birth Year (Estimated) 1836
Birthplace Georgia
House Number 278

Household

Role

Sex

Age

Birthplace

John Harper   M 50 Georgia
Mary Harper   F 50 Georgia
Elizabeth Harper   F 25 Georgia
James Harper   M 18 Georgia
Isaack Harper   M 16 Georgia
Farebee Harper   F 14 Georgia
Amelia Harper   F 13 Georgia
Wesley Harper   M 11 Georgia
Hollins Harper   M 6 Alabama

Citing this Record

"United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH5W-D9L : 12 April 2016), Farebee Harper in household of John Harper, Randolph county, Randolph, Alabama, United States; citing family 278, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

image

View the original document. The original may contain more information than was indexed.

United States Census, 1850

by Deb Durham G2G Astronaut (1.1m points)
selected by Deborah Dunn

John Hopper

mentioned in the record of John Hopper and Mary Self

Name John Hopper
Gender Male
Event Type Marriage
Event Date 08 Sep 1821
Event Place Jefferson, Alabama, United States
Event Place (Original) Jefferson, Alabama
Spouse's Name Mary Self
Spouse's Gender Female

Citing this Record

"Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950," database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQWD-55V : 14 October 2017), John Hopper and Mary Self, 08 Sep 1821; citing Jefferson, Alabama, United States, county courthouses, Alabama; FHL microfilm 1,738,566.

image

View the original document. The original may contain more information than was indexed.

Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950

Deb, thanks, the examples are actually the individual and family of  my Ferriby  Harper/Hopper Turner.  I am trying to go backward and see if I can find that name as a surname. I had so many good answers and suggestions.
+6 votes
Could "Ferriby" be a family surname given to her as a first name?  It probably wouldn't have been recorded in John's will if it was only nickname or term of endearment. Not adequately formal to use a nickname in a legal document, I would guess.
by Dorothy Coakley G2G6 Pilot (184k points)
+5 votes
Fairly rare, but I have seen a first name Pherobe.
by Lynda Crackett G2G6 Pilot (666k points)
+5 votes
I've seen this name before, with a variety of spellings, eg Pharibee.  Google.

Could be they're all descended from the same immigrant, as seems to be the case with other odd names like Catlett.
by Living Horace G2G6 Pilot (626k points)
+5 votes

It could be from a location name:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferriby

 

by Lindy Jones G2G6 Pilot (253k points)

Related questions

+7 votes
3 answers
492 views asked Aug 30, 2017 in Genealogy Help by Stephanie Stults G2G6 Mach 4 (42.4k points)
+6 votes
2 answers
+9 votes
3 answers
+5 votes
3 answers
+7 votes
1 answer
137 views asked Nov 19, 2017 in The Tree House by Brian Purves G2G3 (3.6k points)
+5 votes
0 answers
135 views asked Oct 4, 2017 in Genealogy Help by William Arbuthnot of Kittybrewster G2G6 Pilot (182k points)
+7 votes
0 answers
88 views asked Sep 29, 2017 in Genealogy Help by William Arbuthnot of Kittybrewster G2G6 Pilot (182k points)

WikiTree  ~  About  ~  Help Help  ~  Search Person Search  ~  Surname:

disclaimer - terms - copyright

...