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NO! Say it isn't so! Not TWO of me!
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Location: Blogs Sly Comments |
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| Posted by: Emory Schley |
2/21/2007 11:55 AM |
What’s in a name? Old Billie Shakespeare is not the only one to ever contemplate that question. I came across a Web site the other day (I’d tell you which one, but I’ve forgotten it. Hey, I’m an OLD guy!) that purported to tell you how common your name is in the United States. So, curious as to how many other Emory Schleys might be wandering around loose and unsupervised, I typed in my name.
Mr. Computer ground away for a couple of moments, crunched some numbers, accessed its disk drive, did something on the Internet, then reluctantly reported that “Emory Schley” is so unique that the probability of another person with this exact name in the United States was “exceedingly remote.”
I take it that almost means “no,” with just a hint of “wiggle-room” added, just in case it’s needed later. When I was about 30, I remember asking my father how he came up with my name following my birth. He just said he had once known someone with that name and he thought it sounded so pretty, he decided to give it to me. I probably said something profound, like “Ohhh...” then thought nothing more about it. I had the impression he was just referring to “Emory,” and not my entire name.
Years later, I decided to “google” myself, just for kicks, and discovered there actually WAS another Emory Schley, but he died back in the early ’40s, several years after I was born. Sitting there staring at the computer screen, the thought occurred to me that this might be the very guy Dad was referring to! But I didn’t know if Dad was referring to “Emory Schley” or just to “Emory,” so I’ll never really know. Dad passed away just after I turned 39, so I can’t go back and ask him to expand on his original answer. The guy with my name on the Internet was from an area where my father had actually lived, or at least he was in the same state, so it could be this long-dead fellow was the one who inspired my name. He could even have been a relative. Dad never said, and it never occurred to me to ask.
It just feels so eerie, kind of like gives me the creeps, don’tcha know? One of these days, if I ever get interested in genealogy, perhaps I’ll try to track down any possible connection between the deceased Emory Schley and the living Emory Schley! |
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