Jim asked: My understanding is that middle initials or names were unusual during the colonial period. However one of my female ancestors did have a middle initial in her name. Would this intitial be indicative of her maiden name? --- No. The practice of using a maiden name as a middle name is almost unheard-of before the 19th century. I'd be interested in finding documented cases, if they exist. Ladies lost their maiden names entirely when they married (occasionally, they might be known in legal documents as "Firstname Marriedname, alias Maidenname", but "alias" was usually used for a previous married name). Before about 1750, almost all English colonists used only one given name, as was the practice in the mother country. A few families gave the whole name of a relative to a child as given names--therefore the middle initial is likely for the surname of an ancestor. Examples: Winifred Traverse BEALE, named for a great-aunt, married Robert Wormeley CARTER. She was referred to as Winifred T. Carter, not Winifred B. Carter. Alice Corbin GRIFFIN was named for her great-grandmother Alice ELTONHEAD Corbin (notice that little Alice wasn't given her great-grandmother's maiden name, but her married name). She used two given names--after she married, she was Alice Corbin Colston--all her life, as far as we can tell, but never a middle initial. She was certainly not Alice G. Colston. Little Alice named her own daughter Elizabeth Griffin COLSTON, for her mother Elizabeth LEE Griffin, and she had a granddaughter named Alice Griffin COLSTON. Kathleen Much To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html