Names Continued
I am the daughter of Russell and Eyvonne Porter Black. Dad was named for his grandfather Russell Warner. Grandpa Warner drowned when Grandma Nina Black was just three years old (see below) so it's not surprising that she wanted to name her first son after the father she never got to know.
Grandpa Mark Black's middle name is Chase. I'm not sure why Grandpa and Grandma didn't use Chase as Dad's middle name but they decided that they wanted to find a different "C" name. Aviator Charles Limbergh was extremely popular in the early 30's having just completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight so Grandma and Grandpa named Dad "Russell Charles" after Charles Limbergh.
The surname Black was English or Irish and was often a nickname for a swarthy or black haired man. Dad says that as a little boy some of the "mean" kids in Kanosh would call him "Rusty Blackrock." Oh, how he hated that nickname. As an adult, Dad's friends generally call him Russ. In the Church he's been call "Bishop," having served as the bishop of the Highland Ward from 1967-1972; and "President," having served as a councilor in the Highland Stake Presidency from 1985-1994. Grand-kids and great-grand kids know him as Grandpa Black and I happily call him Dad:)
Mother had a love/hate relationship with her name. She told me once that she wasn't sure why Grandpa and Grandma Porter named her Eyvonne--no one ever spelled it right! Grand-kids and great-grand-kids loving called her Grandma Black and I loved calling her Mom!
The name Porter is of English and Scottish decent. It is the "occupational name for the gatekeeper of a walled town or city, or the doorkeeper of a great house, castle, or monastery, from Middle English porter ‘doorkeeper,’ or ‘gatekeeper.’" The second meaning is English: "occupational name for a man who carried loads for a living, especially one who used his own muscle power rather than a beast of burden or a wheeled vehicle. This sense is from Old French porteo(u)r (Late Latin portator, from portare ‘to carry or convey’)."
The Porter's have an interesting history. The story goes that John Porter was exiled from England to Australia for stealing fowl (probably chickens). In Australia he married Mary Ann Bryant and they had four children, William, Elizabeth, John, and Samuel. One day the original John threw a meat cleaver at Mary Ann so she gathered up her four children and returned home to live with her parents. A short time later they were introduced to the gospel by Mormon missionaries. Mary Ann and her four children and headed for Zion (Utah). The small family traveled on the ship Julia Ann. The Julia Ann was infamous in LDS History as the only ship that ever sank carrying Mormon Immigrants. The Julia Ann made two voyages from Australia--the first carrying our Porters, the second when she went down. Miraculously, most of the passengers survived. The Porters landed in San Diego and traveled overland along the route of our present day I-15 to Beaver, Utah.
Grandpa Mark Black's middle name is Chase. I'm not sure why Grandpa and Grandma didn't use Chase as Dad's middle name but they decided that they wanted to find a different "C" name. Aviator Charles Limbergh was extremely popular in the early 30's having just completed the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight so Grandma and Grandpa named Dad "Russell Charles" after Charles Limbergh.
The surname Black was English or Irish and was often a nickname for a swarthy or black haired man. Dad says that as a little boy some of the "mean" kids in Kanosh would call him "Rusty Blackrock." Oh, how he hated that nickname. As an adult, Dad's friends generally call him Russ. In the Church he's been call "Bishop," having served as the bishop of the Highland Ward from 1967-1972; and "President," having served as a councilor in the Highland Stake Presidency from 1985-1994. Grand-kids and great-grand kids know him as Grandpa Black and I happily call him Dad:)
Mother had a love/hate relationship with her name. She told me once that she wasn't sure why Grandpa and Grandma Porter named her Eyvonne--no one ever spelled it right! Grand-kids and great-grand-kids loving called her Grandma Black and I loved calling her Mom!
The name Porter is of English and Scottish decent. It is the "occupational name for the gatekeeper of a walled town or city, or the doorkeeper of a great house, castle, or monastery, from Middle English porter ‘doorkeeper,’ or ‘gatekeeper.’" The second meaning is English: "occupational name for a man who carried loads for a living, especially one who used his own muscle power rather than a beast of burden or a wheeled vehicle. This sense is from Old French porteo(u)r (Late Latin portator, from portare ‘to carry or convey’)."
The Porter's have an interesting history. The story goes that John Porter was exiled from England to Australia for stealing fowl (probably chickens). In Australia he married Mary Ann Bryant and they had four children, William, Elizabeth, John, and Samuel. One day the original John threw a meat cleaver at Mary Ann so she gathered up her four children and returned home to live with her parents. A short time later they were introduced to the gospel by Mormon missionaries. Mary Ann and her four children and headed for Zion (Utah). The small family traveled on the ship Julia Ann. The Julia Ann was infamous in LDS History as the only ship that ever sank carrying Mormon Immigrants. The Julia Ann made two voyages from Australia--the first carrying our Porters, the second when she went down. Miraculously, most of the passengers survived. The Porters landed in San Diego and traveled overland along the route of our present day I-15 to Beaver, Utah.
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