Perhaps the most unusual name in my family tree (other than Bygod/Beget Eggleston) is Posthumous Sikes, the grandson of my 7th great-grandfather Victory Sikes (1649-1708). Posthumous, a farmer in Suffield, CT., is my 1st cousin 7x removed.
According to a post entitled, Posthumous Sikes House, Suffield Connecticut, “The early Puritan settlers of New England would often give their children seemingly unconventional names, often preferring “Increase,” “Thankful,” and “Deliverance” to more Catholic-sounding names like Mary, James, and Peter. In the case of “Posthumous,” it was often given to a child born after the death of his father, and for Posthumous Sikes, he was born in 1711, seven months after his father Jonathan died. Posthumous married Rachel Adams around the same time that he built this house, and they had four children: Amos, Stephen, Shadrack, and Gideon. Posthumous died in 1756, and his son Shadrack later owned the property. The house appears to have remained in the Sikes family until at least the mid-1800s.”
Lost New England – July 9, 2015 by Derek Strahan
If it is not already on your frequent reading list, the Lost New England site is a great blog focusing on New England history.
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