BY JENNY GOLDSBERRY
Baby New Year has arrived! With him, thousands of other babies will arrive this year too. If you’re expecting, check out this list of 100-year-old baby names you can use as inspiration to name your own Baby New Year. Then, keep reading to find the stories of locals who share the same name.
Girls’ Names
MARY
The number-one name in 1922 was Mary. In the United States, it remained the number-one name for 35 consecutive years. Its origin is Hebrew. It was the word for myrrh, used in Biblical times as incense and perfume.
Mary Elizabeth Jones was born on Farr’s Fort. Her family was the same Jones family that owned and operated Jones Hall. It was a gathering place that her father, John, built for dances, plays, taffy pulls, quilting bees, and more. Mary oversaw cleaning the hall in between events. When she was dating her future husband, Samuel Randall, they often went dancing themselves.
DOROTHY
Next, comes this Greek name. In its original language, it was Dorothea. It meant “God’s gift.”
Dorothy Boekweg was a first-generation Dutch girl. She was known to be a great cook, from her experience as a lunch lady, then unit manager at North Ogden Pleasant View Elementary schools. In addition, she often cooked large batches of soup and bread for the widows in her neighborhood.
HELEN
At number three on the list is another Greek name. Then, it was pronounced Helena, now, it is shortened to Helen. Helena meant “light or torch.”
Helen Campbell is a direct descendant of the Campbells who settled North Ogden. Subsequently, she was born and buried in town. She attended Mrs. Reed’s School of Dancing as young as six years old; however, she started fishing even younger and continued fishing as a hobby.
Boys’ Names
JOHN
While this was the number-one name in 1922, it would remain in the top five for 52 consecutive years. In Hebrew, it meant “God is gracious.” Its longer companion, Johnathan, meant “Jehovah’s gift.”
John William Chadwick was one of those born in 1922 who helped make his name so popular. Even though his studies at Weber College were interrupted by his draft into World War II, after the war, he got a degree in accounting. He didn’t stop there because he later became the President of Utah Society of Public Accountants.
ROBERT
This name is Old English. It means “bright or shining with fame.” Robert was made world- renowned by Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland, who preserved his country’s independence.
Robert Montgomery Sr. was a Scottish immigrant who settled North Ogden. He helped dig the very first ditch there and the North Ogden Canal. When the very first election came around in his precinct, he was elected secretary to the town. While he came to farm North Ogden, when he got too old to manage it, he spent his time teaching the youth how to dance and box.
WILLIAM
William is an Old German name. It means “a resolute protector.” Its Old English nickname, Will, meant “determined, firm, resolute.”
William Levi Blaylock was one of the many North Ogden Boys that served in the first World War. At one point, he was falsely reported as dead, but dispelled those rumors with the many letters he sent his parents. He was hospitalized in France for three months as a result of being gassed in the field. For his troubles, he was given 45 francs at the hospital, the equivalent of about $8.10 in his time. He mailed one back to his parents.
Do you have an ancestor with one of the above names? We want to hear their story!
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