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Obviously St. Esmeria is not an acknowledged Saint. She is completely legendary (but so are others found in calenders both Catholic and Orthodox), and she was invented to keep up a dogma which is not backed up by biblical evidence: The New Testament freely talks about brothers and sisters of Jesus. But according to Catholic Dogma Mary was a virgin until the end of her life. An old legend says, that Mary’s mother Anna was married three times: her first husband was Joachim, father of Mary. After his death she married Kleophas and had a daughter called Mary Cleophas. This daughter later wedded Alpheus, and their children were Jacob the Younger, Barnabas, Joseph the Just, Simon Zelotes and Judas Thaddeus. When Kleophas died, Anna got married once more, this time to Salomas. Their daughter was Mary Salome, mother of John the Evangelist and Jacob the Elder.

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An even more complicated construction also involves Annas parents: They are called either Ysashar and Susanna or Stolanus and Emerentia. Anna had a sister called Esmeria, wife of Ephraim an mother of Elizabeth, who then bore John the Baptist.

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I haven’t been able to find out anything about the etymology of Esmeria, so these are just educated guesses:

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Esmeralda = emerald
Smyrna or Samaria (neglecting the initial E)

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Andy ;—)