{"id":11633,"date":"2025-01-15T22:29:20","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T04:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsallinthesynapse.net\/Family_History\/?p=11633"},"modified":"2025-01-15T22:29:20","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T04:29:20","slug":"did-a-family-name-start-as-a-nickname","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsallinthesynapse.net\/Family_History\/did-a-family-name-start-as-a-nickname\/","title":{"rendered":"Did a Family Name Start as a Nickname?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Was the first known Passco\/Pasco Peelle really named Isaac?  Where did the name Passco come from?  And, why did it stick being a family name for generations?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Early Days<\/h1>\n

Robert (b. 1709) and his wife Elizabeth (Edgerton) Peelle, my 5th<\/sup> great grandparents, were Quakers.  They married in 1728, likely in Nansemond County, Virginia.  Following the tradition of previous generations, they perpetuated the name Robert by giving that name to their first son.  Then, in 1733, they had another son, who would become my 4th great grandfather.<\/p>\n

The debate is about the name they gave him at birth.  Although all the records that I have found except one indicate his name is Passco, his father\u2019s first will lists his name as Isaac.  Within the month, the will was modified with several changes.  In the new will, he is listed as Passco.  Some people assume that the first will indicates that Isaac is his \u201creal\u201d name and that it was changed in the updated will to his nickname or preferred name.  However, I wonder if Isaac was simply an error that was corrected in the second version of the will.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Taking A look at the Records<\/h1>\n

Birth<\/h3>\n

The Quaker records list his name with his birth date showing it as Passco\/Pasco with a birthdate of 29th<\/sup> day, 7th<\/sup> month of 1733.  This translates to July 29, 1733 based on the way Quakers dated their records.  This is an original handwritten record.  However, it was made years after his birth, having been recorded in The Register of Births and Deaths of the People Called Quakers belonging to Rich Square Monthly Meeting in North Carolina County of Northampton<\/em>  likely  in the 1760s soon after the Rich Square meeting house was built.<\/p>\n

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Marriage<\/h3>\n

Although Passco is believed to have married Tabitha Dunigan\/Dunagan around 1755, no record of their marriage has been found.  It is unclear where they married, but given the family\u2019s history being in the Society of Friends before and after that date, they likely married at a Quaker Meeting House.  Tabitha stated at some point that she didn\u2019t know how old she was because the meeting house burnt.  If they married where she lived, it is possible that their marriage record burnt as well.<\/p>\n

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Business<\/h3>\n

The earliest recorded record for Passco was in 1759.  December 18th<\/sup> of that year, he signed a petition for the formation of Hertford County, North Carolina.  He used the name Passco.  Thus, either he had either been named Passco at birth or had used the name so much that he used it in his business transactions.  That said, in those early years before and after the birth of our country, a person could use any name they wanted as there was no official legal name for a person.<\/p>\n

In 1780\/1781, he used the same name when signing petitions to the General Assembly of North Carolina requesting new commissioners. <\/p>\n

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Land<\/h3>\n

Passco became the owner of property in Dobbs County, North Carolina in an area which later became Wayne County.  He was granted 640 acres adjoining William Newsome on the east side of Basses Swamp. He received a subsequent grant for additional land adjoining that property.  Both were issued to \u201cPassco Peelle\u201d (or a form of that name).<\/p>\n

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Tax Lists & Censuses<\/h3>\n

Additionally, the 1786 and 1788 tax lists, give his name as Passcow.  We pronounce Passco as \u201cpass\u201d \u201cco.\u201d  However, in those days, they very well may have pronounced it \u201cpass\u201d \u201ccow.\u201d  Thus, the name may have been recorded the way it sounded.  Then in 1790 and 1800, the census records list his name as Pasco.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One Last Record<\/h3>\n

Finally, when his daughter Anna married Thomas Parker at the Piney Grove Monthly Meeting in Marlboro, South Carolina in 1803, his name was recorded as Passco Peelle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Wills<\/h1>\n

Given his business records show the name as some form of Passco, it seems reasonable to take a look at the document that gave his name as Isaac.  It clearly isn\u2019t just a misunderstanding of what is written in the will as the handwriting, although not perfect throughout the will, perfectly states the name as \u201cIsaac.\u201d <\/p>\n

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Robert Peelle IV’s original will showing the name Isaac<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The second will written only twenty days later is essentially the same with Isaac changed to Passco, the spelling of Peele changed to Peelle, and at least one item being added to the will.<\/p>\n

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Revised will of Robert Peelle IV showing the name Passco.  Note that in this era two “s'”s together were written in cursive in a way that looks much live a curvie “f.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Neither name appears to be a family name prior to this point.  However, both names show up in the family tree after this point with Passco\/Pasco being common among Passco\u2019s descendants.<\/p>\n

In his own will, his name is written \u201cPascho Peelle.\u201d  There is no reference to the name Isaac.  Additionally, he had followed the family tradition of naming his first son Robert.  However, Robert had died as a child.  His only two living sons at the time of his death were John and William. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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My Conclusion<\/h1>\n

It is possible that an early Quaker record exists that lists Passco\u2019s name as Isaac.  In absence of such a record, I conclude it is very likely that Passco was his given name at birth and not a nickname.  In either case, the real question is \u201cWhere did the name Passco come from?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Where Did The Name come from?<\/h3>\n

John Pasco was an immigrant to Virginia in the early days before the Revolutionary war.<\/p>\n

A Pasco Curle lived in Elizabeth City as early as 1699.<\/p>\n

Pascal\/Pascow\/Pasco Herbert also lived in Elizabeth City.  At first look, he appears to have connections to the Curle family.<\/p>\n

Did one of these people inspire the naming of Passco Peelle?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Featured image: By gerald via pixabay.com<\/p>\n

Prompt: Nickname<\/p>\n

#52ancestors52weeks<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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  Was the first known Passco\/Pasco Peelle really named Isaac?  Where did the name Passco come from?  And, why did it stick being a family name for generations?   The Early Days Robert (b. 1709) and his wife Elizabeth (Edgerton) Peelle, my 5th great grandparents, were Quakers.  They married in 1728, likely in Nansemond County, Virginia.  Following the tradition of previous generations, they perpetuated the name Robert by giving that name to their first son.  […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-peelle"],"yoast_head":"\nDid a Family Name Start as a Nickname? - Family History<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsallinthesynapse.net\/Family_History\/did-a-family-name-start-as-a-nickname\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Did a Family Name Start as a Nickname? 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