 Joe, my guess is that many families in the process of honoring ancestors,
forebears, parents, etc. keep the same name going for hundreds of years. My father was hell-bent to give my brother
Mark whom you have now contacted the middle (confirmation) name of "Anthony". But even at the tender age of 8 or so, Mark
felt "Mark Anthony" was too cute, and opted for Stephen after no one in particular.
My confirmation name was/is "Joseph", clearly for my grandfather
whom I loved but who died about 18 months before the confirmation ceremony. I was baptized "Paul Thomas" with
the "Thomas" part for Civil War Union General, Thomas Kilby Smith, whose daughter Helen took in my orphaned
mother and her sister and paid for their (very expensive) private school educations,
gave them a place to live and paid for my mom and dad's wedding.
. . . . My as yet to be born 4th grandson
due this coming Superbowl Sunday is to be name "PAUL Francis" illustrating the point above.
E-mail from Paul Stimmler to Joe Hall, January 26, 2001
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