Nevertheless, I've made some progress, so I'll begin with my great grandfather Joseph Bushrod White. It's an unusual middle name which he apparently inherited from his father Benjamin Bushrod White. A rare surname meaning "young shrub", its etymology is from the Old English words "bysc", meaning a bushy thicket, and "rod", which refers to a clearing in a forest.
This name was also passed down to one his sons - and my great uncle - Joseph Bushrod White, Jr. If I had known about this a while back, I might have placed the moniker on one of my sons' birth certificates. Not sure how that would have gone over with my wife... |
There is a bit of uncertainty on Joseph's actual date of birth. His death certificate has July 4, 1888 handwritten as his birth date. Every other document available to me, his registration cards for both world wars and the Social Security and Claims Index, state that he was born on August 4, 1889. Although someone else filled in his information on the registration cards, he was obviously there for himself to confirm the date, and he signed off on the truthfulness of the details. The informant on Joseph's death certificate was his eldest son Herbert, so I suppose the chances are greater that the error lies therein.