What's in a Name

My paternal grandmother's given name has been shrouded in mystery for as long as even my dad can remember. She called herself Betty and may have given herself the middle name of Isabel. Dad and I had speculated that maybe Betty was short for Elizabeth or even short for Isabel. Her death certificate lists her as Betty I. Rossman. The 1910 US census (she was 3) calls her "Beky," and in the 1920 US census, she is "Rebecca." By 1930 she was 23, still living at home, and called Betty. I wish I had thought to ask her about her name before she passed in 1994.

I wrote that a year and a half ago, and I am proud to say that mystery has been solved! My cousin, Heidi, had interviewed my grandmother in 1989 and 1990. We've had the cassette tapes all these years, but I thought they were packed away. I found them at Thanksgiving with my mom's tapes, so I took them home at Christmas. There is a huge difference between listening to them as a kid and listening to them as family researcher. What a treasure rediscovered!

So her given name in English was Rebecca, but at home she was called something in either Russian or Yiddish. When she went to school the Russian or Yiddish name was translated to Isobel. She hated both Rebecca and Isobel and legally changed her name to Betty Isobel Rosenthal before she got married.

BettyRebeccaBeckyIsobel