An interesting name: Keren-Happuch!

[SallyOMalley]

An ancestor of mine is shown on census information as 'Karranappuck'. I didn't think that sounded quite right and a spot of googling led me to the biblical name of Keren-Happuch - Job's daughter, apparently!

My ancestor appears on two censuses with the wrong spelling: the first when she was a toddler and then 10 years later. But then she drops off and I can't find her anywhere, including census, marriages and deaths.

So here's my question: does anyone know of likely nicknames for this biblical name? A google search came up with the nicknames 'Happy' and 'Cara' but they're both drawing a blank. My ancestor's middle name is her mother's maiden name and she's not using that.

Any ideas on where to go from here?? Thanks!

Ooh just thought: Anna or Anne. I'll try those! 🙄🙂

Karen or Carrie/ Karrie. I’m sure you’ve thought of that though!

I don't know about nicknames, but it means something along the line of 'horn of kohl' or 'horn of antimony' - so basically, an eyeliner pot, or, more symbolically, something that makes things beautiful. I bet she had wonderful eyelashes to have been named like that.

It does indeed!

Our mysterious Keren-Happuch had an aunt that died just before she was born. She was called Keziah, who was also a daughter of Job.

Her siblings were called names like Anne, Fanny and Elizabeth, so I think our K-H was named in memory of her Aunt.

I'm just getting a bit frustrated that I can't find her after the census when she was about three! 🤯

Have you tried other ways of searching? So drop the first name and leave the first name box blank, fill in the surname checking the "sounds like" and other boxes, select sex "female" and then her birth year +/- 1 year? Obviously works better for less common surnames.

Or search for females born in a specific location in a specific year and fill in the name of a mother/father or both. Or a sibling.

These sorts of searches can throw up people whose names have been misspelled on mistranscribed on censuses online.

Were they in Wiltshire @SallyOMalley?

@RaspberryCoulis

Have you tried other ways of searching? So drop the first name and leave the first name box blank, fill in the surname checking the "sounds like" and other boxes, select sex "female" and then her birth year +/- 1 year? Obviously works better for less common surnames.

Or search for females born in a specific location in a specific year and fill in the name of a mother/father or both. Or a sibling.

These sorts of searches can throw up people whose names have been misspelled on mistranscribed on censuses online.

Thanks @RaspberryCoulis! Yep, I've used wildcards in the first name - no luck. Have tried to track down her closest siblings in the thought that they might all be at home together but no luck there.

So, I have a bapt record and then the family appears on the next two consecutive censuses (1861 and 1871).

The first census where I can't find them is 1881 and I can't find any of the family moving out in a widening radius from where the family has been for a couple of generations at least.

I'm starting to wonder if they emigrated, and that's something I need to explore further.

I DO love a puzzle! (And I'm also looking at you, great grandfather. Where the chuff did you go to after ww1?!)

If you want to share, message me with a name and DOB and I'll have a look too. A second pair of eyes is always useful.

Try Scotland's people? I've had more success tracking down lots of my ancestors through that. One person pings back and forth between English and Scottish records!

I will, thanks! When I'm back on front of the pc I'll DM you with a name and dates.

(I'm boring immediate family to tears here. All I get are dramatic eye rolls! )

@minisoksmakehardwork

Try Scotland's people? I've had more success tracking down lots of my ancestors through that. One person pings back and forth between English and Scottish records!

That's a thought. Thanks!

I've solved a couple of puzzles through Google searches and found family members on local history websites. No such luck here though .

My SIL is Keren so I remember looking the name up when we first met her.
From memory, Keren-Happuch means ' asmall pot of eye- makeup'.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate

Were they in Wiltshire *@SallyOMalley*?

No, they're in Lincolnshire.

You say you have widened your search area. Try following the railways. My ancestors were from a random rural part of Bucks and ended up in west London. The railway went straight from one to the other.

You could contact the local library where they were registered in the census. My village library had records specific to the village, and sometimes locals write books which are not widely published. I did a study on professions in my village over time, and gave it to the library.

Re the railways, many lines are now closed, but they would have been in operation at the time. There's also the waterways.

Have you checked workhouse records in the birthplaces of both parents? Parishes would often send people back to their 'home' parish if they fell on hard times.

@SallyOMalley

It does indeed!

Our mysterious Keren-Happuch had an aunt that died just before she was born. She was called Keziah, who was also a daughter of Job.

Her siblings were called names like Anne, Fanny and Elizabeth, so I think our K-H was named in memory of her Aunt.

I'm just getting a bit frustrated that I can't find her after the census when she was about three! 🤯

Love the fact that they went for Keren-Happuch and not Jemima.

Oh that's interesting. I have a Wiltshire Keren-Happuch. So there are two of them. Like yours, mine's in amongst all the standard names like Elizabeth and the normal religious names like Rebecca and the occasional Tabitha. Then, bang, Keren-Happuch.

It does appear in the Bible. I'm sure I looked it up at the time.

We also have a couple of Salomes. Now that's obviously an interesting one for the census record-keepers. They were aunt and niece, and there is quite a range of spellings: Solomon, Saloman, Solmie, Salmon ... thank goodness for wildcards!

@PastMyBestBeforeDate

It does appear in the Bible. I'm sure I looked it up at the time.

They do indeed. They daughters of Job: Kezia(h), Keren-Happuch and Jemima. (I only know this because of this little puzzle. It might come useful in a pub quiz one day!)

@expectopelargonium

You say you have widened your search area. Try following the railways. My ancestors were from a random rural part of Bucks and ended up in west London. The railway went straight from one to the other.

What a brilliant idea! I'll try that too. Thanks.

@expectopelargonium

Re the railways, many lines are now closed, but they would have been in operation at the time. There's also the waterways.

Have you checked workhouse records in the birthplaces of both parents? Parishes would often send people back to their 'home' parish if they fell on hard times.

Good thinking. Thanks! I feel ready to engage with old K-H again. Thanks!

It also means child of beauty. She was indeed one of Job's daughters (Book of Job) and had AFAIK a sister called Kezia. What century did she come from? Again AFAIk it was a non-conformist name - so Methodist, Congregationalist etc.

@crosstalk - She was born in the 1860s and baptised CofE so not particularly puritanical! Her aunt was called Keziah and died young just before K-h was born. I think her name was given in memory of her aunt.