GenMassachusetts-L Archives

From: "Betty" <>
Subject: [GENMASSACHUSETTS] Frances PERKINS, first Woman in Cabinet
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:41:29 -0400

Hello,

In this morning's MassMoments e-mail, there is a story about Frances
PERKINS, the first woman to hold a Cabinet position. She was born in
Boston.

http://www.massmoments.org:80/moment.cfm?mid=109

If anyone of you have also watched "Dirty Dancing" many times, in the
beginning of the movie Johnny asks Baby what her real name is. She
replies, Frances, after the first woman to be in the Cabinet.

Does anyone have an ancestor who was named after a famous person? First
name? Surname?

My gr-gr-grandfather was Charles Wellington RICE, b1850 Maine. He came
down to MA ~1874 and married Adelaide HUTCHINSON from Winchester. The
first of their 2 daughters was named Louise Wellington RICE. My sister
did genealogy for a while (because of an antique photo album), and she
always thought our gr-grandmother was given the middle-name Wellington,
because of a WELLINGTON family from Belmont had a close relationship with
the HUTCHINSON and CROSBY families (Arlington).

But I wasn't sure about that. I had assumed she was given the middle name
because it was her father's middle name. And, her father's parents had no
connection to the Arlington and Winchester families. So, 4-5 years ago, I
looked on-line and was reminded about the "Duke of Wellington."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Wellesley,_1st_Duke_of_Wellington

He was a very important, military / political figure in Europe in
mid-1800's, and I read that many children were named after him.

-- I'll have to agree that my gr-grandmother, Mrs. Louise Wellington (RICE)
KIDDER of Winchester, might have been given that middle name for 2 reasons.
Her only sibling was given the name, Edith Crosby RICE. Their mother had
been given the name, Adelaide Crosby HUTCHINSON, and her mother was Mrs.
Eliza Ann (CROSBY) HUTCHINSON.

Just an FYI for you.

Betty (near Lowell, MA)


ENJOY your Holiday weekend !



April and May
what a wonderful way
to spend your day.

(one of 2 things I wrote when I was in more of a "poetry mood" in '80's;
the other?)

"Celebrate the Daffodils"

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• [GENMASSACHUSETTS] Frances PERKINS, first Woman in Cabinet by "Betty" <>