Cicemecilia

[stevenson]

Has anyone in Antrim found a female family member with this name please.

a name that has been past down for generations.

As it is very hard to spell (never mind speak ) and can be transcribed with a multitude of spellings.

Steve

[Christopher]

Steve, that's a bit of a mouthful

You might have a better chance finding the transcription Cissie

Christopher

[stevenson]

Chris

Can take up alot of room on a headstone too.

Asenath Ciciemecillia and Cesium are other names connected to this family and plan old John.

I am wondering if their roots might be Jewish.

Steve

[Christopher]

Chris

Can take up alot of room on a headstone too.

Asenath Ciciemecillia and Cesium are other names connected to this family and plan old John.

I am wondering if their roots might be Jewish.

Steve

Are you sure those are Hebrew names, Steve They look more like Latin to me. Now don't go googling for Hebrew Christian names I'm not certain of the terminology ... first names or given names might be the right terms.

Chris

[stevenson]

Well Chris

To be honest
..First thought was Romans...
then Latin...
then Jewish......
the last being anything but Irish

Steve

[geniecolgan]

I just did a google:-
Cesium = Latin - Sky Blue, also on the Periodic Table as Caesium.
Asenath = Old Testament.
jc

[TheWhuttle]

Steve,

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CICIEMECILIA

I reckon this might be a concatenation of "Cicieme" & "Celia".

Probably, in fact, given originally as two distinct names - maybe hyphenated.

[Perhaps they were crammed together on the memorial in order to fit within the small space available, constrained by the limitations of the font-scaling capability of the primitive engraving technology of the day?]


The first name appears to be of African origin.
[Sometimes written nowadays as "Kikime".]


The second name is likely to be one of the 61 variants of "Cecelia".

http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Cecilia


This is the name of the Saint, commemorated on 22-NOV, patron of Church Music & of the Blind, who was martyred around the year 117 A.D.  Apparently in Rome, but maybe on Sicily.
[I saw a fresco of her sad story in a church in Bologna (?) last year.]

However, perhaps more relevantly for you, a later Saint Cecelia, commemorated on 11-FEB, was martyred in Carthage in North Africa in 304 A.D., during the Diocletian persecutions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Cecilia
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03471b.htm

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ASENATH

This is the name of an Egyptian woman.

According to the Old Testament, she was given by the Pharoah to Joseph, to be his wife.  She converted to her husband's (Jewish) faith.

Their sons were the progenitors of two of the tribes of Israel.
[Perhaps the lost African ones ...]

One possible source of the name is indeed Aramaic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asenath
http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/asenath.html
http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Asenath


Asenath's mother had a dream that her family would be joined to Joseph's one, though she interpreted it a tad too directly ...

http://www.kingsolomon.com/literary/bibtales/joseph.htm .
[N.B. Ahem, a modern "romanticised & enhanced" version of events!]

A version, more suitable for children, is available on DVD as an animated film "Joseph: King of Dreams", with Ben AFFLECK and Jodi BENSON.

http://www.decentfilms.com/sections/reviews/1879

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CESIUM

Indeed, this could derive from the Latin "Caesius", meaning "Sky Blue" or "Heavenly Blue".

[Best experienced alone atop the Dolomites at Dobbiaco in November. Such helps deep understanding of why last night's "farewell" performance from Darcy BUSSELL, to her "old friends", was so poignant and will be "for ever" timeless ... ]

The "Caesium" name was given to a new radioactive element discovered in 1860.
[It, or more likely its salts, were bright blue.]

Spelt also as "Cesium" in English and French.


Perhaps you should look at "Kesium" or "Keseum" as well ...

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Could "Cicelie Asenath JOHNS (1857-1948)" be your relative?

http://www.frontiernet.net/~brewirish/3024.htm

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So, implications to consider?

Some of your ancestors might have ...

... originated in Africa;
... taken their Christian religion seriously;
... been musical;
... had bright blue eyes (!);
... lived in France or a French colony.
... been very good time keepers!

 

Jock

[stevenson]

Thank you so much JC and Jock

all this has given me food for thought.

Asenath was obviously given the middle name Cicemecilia ,so a older sister must of had Cicimecilia as her first name, or even her mother.

it has always been common practice that each child that married, named their girls with Cicemecilia somewhere in their name.

Maybe some families went with Asenath

So anyone with Cicemecilia ,anywhere in the world ,with any surname might be linked.

(transcriptions can look odd, I have visons of some poor clerk trying to write it down, but any headstones I have found have always had it as one word and spelled correctly,which must have been a miracle back then ,as some could not read or write)

Maybe they were very religious as the males have biblical names, did find a (what looked like) Tiberius too.

Maybe Cesium was French and the change of spelling.........good idea........Kesium........found one of them too ......but was not sure if it was connected.

1....their origins in Africa   

2...they take their religion serious

3...I will go with blind before musical

4....yes...have bright blue eyes

5...France...sounds promising

6...Yep...very good time keepers..

Thank you

anyone find an odd name that looks like Ciciemcilia.....

Steve

[Christopher]

Hiya Steve,

I've checked the Ulster Covenant ... it works on a Christian name only search. No one named Cicemecilia signed unless she just used the letter C. Nine Celias did sign the Covenant but no Cilias signed. BTW what surname is attached to Cicemecilia?

I'm not certain whether a Cicemecilia signed or not now. A further search revealed that one hundred and four women named Cissie and twenty two named Cissy as well as thirty named Sissie and two named Sissy signed the Covenant.

Christopher