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Help[Facts] Origin of name 'Gatsy'
I ran across an unusual name and would like to know its etymology. The girl's name "Gatsy" appears in the early and mid-1800s, pretty much restricted to the Old South: the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, with later instances following migration patterns westward. There was an expecially heavy concentration in east-central North Carolina, around Lenoir and Pitt Counties. I know of at least three descandants of Isaiah Johnson and Mary Oxley who bore this name, plus a cousin or two. There are still a few around. I just turned up 22 hits for Gatsy and another 14 for Gatsey on the Social Security Death Index.
There was a fad for literary names beginnng around 1800 (Araminta, Lucinda, Pamelia, Statira, etc.). Was Gatsy a character in some now-forgotten romantic novel? The regional distribution suggests otherwise. Was it the stage name of a popular actress or singer?
Some of the nickname sites on the Web offer Gatsy as a nickname for Augusta/Augustina but without evidence. I doubt it. At least one family used Gatsy as a nicknme for Gathasa, but the latter name appears only once or twice and is itself of unknown origin, so that doesn't help much either.
Any leads? Thanks.
NAB
There was a fad for literary names beginnng around 1800 (Araminta, Lucinda, Pamelia, Statira, etc.). Was Gatsy a character in some now-forgotten romantic novel? The regional distribution suggests otherwise. Was it the stage name of a popular actress or singer?
Some of the nickname sites on the Web offer Gatsy as a nickname for Augusta/Augustina but without evidence. I doubt it. At least one family used Gatsy as a nicknme for Gathasa, but the latter name appears only once or twice and is itself of unknown origin, so that doesn't help much either.
Any leads? Thanks.
NAB
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Replies
This post is very old, but maybe you'll see it one day. I have a 1st cousin 6x removed who was named Gathara Brinson. It is written plainly in the family bible and in every other record she is called Gathara or Gathary, except for one record where she is called Gatsy. She named a daughter Gathara and a granddaughter was named it as well. These people lived in Burke County, GA, and were originally from Onslow County, NC. I can only find a handful of other Gatharas. There was a Gathara Phillips living in the same county at the same time, although I don't know if she was related. There is a record where she is called Gatsy as well. Hope this helps.
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I am currently researching the Walton family of Burke County, GA who also relocated from Onslow County, NC circa 1800. Ephaly Walton's wife, Alice Nichols is referred to as Gatsy in some old records. Her sister, Elizabeth Nichols (married to Ephaly's younger brother Jesse Walton) referred to her daughter with a similar nickname. Thought the similarity in naming, along with the identical geographic locals of settlement and resettlement was interesting. In your research, have you come across any connections with surnames Walton/Walthom, Averrit/Everitt (both from Burke and Onslow Counties), or Nichols, Or with the New Hope Baptist Church of Burke County. I'd like to find the link to origin of name Gatsy.
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I would also like to know of the origins of this very unusual name. My great grandmother was Gatsie, and her daughter was Gatsey as was my aunt. We are from eastern NC.
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We have a couple Gatsys in the family tree, too. Ours came from Orangeburg, SC and also Columbia CO GA. I've always wondered about the origins of the name. I agree that Augusta/Augustina sounds like a very reasonable explanation for the "full name" if Gatsy is a shortened version. I hope we can solve the mystery. BTW, my Gatsys were both born early 1800s, one in 1810 so it was way before F Scott Fitzgerald's "Gatsby". :)
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