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ArchivesRe: Pherity or Phereby or Pherety
in reply to a message by Mau
I have a 3rd great grandmother named Phereby Roberts born 1810 in Harnett County, NC This first name may be taken from the last name Ferebee. This is from Ancestry.com
English: habitational name from North Ferriby in East Yorkshire or South Ferriby in Lincolnshire, both named from Old Norse ferja ‘ferry’ + býr ‘farmstead’.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Ancestry also states that "The Ferebee family name was found in the USA, and the UK between 1840 and 1920. The most Ferebee families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 7 Ferebee families living in North Carolina. This was about 78% of all the recorded Ferebee's in the USA. North Carolina had the highest population of Ferebee families in 1840."
I've seen other women in my family tree named Phereby spelled in different ways sometimes as Pheribah.
English: habitational name from North Ferriby in East Yorkshire or South Ferriby in Lincolnshire, both named from Old Norse ferja ‘ferry’ + býr ‘farmstead’.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Ancestry also states that "The Ferebee family name was found in the USA, and the UK between 1840 and 1920. The most Ferebee families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 7 Ferebee families living in North Carolina. This was about 78% of all the recorded Ferebee's in the USA. North Carolina had the highest population of Ferebee families in 1840."
I've seen other women in my family tree named Phereby spelled in different ways sometimes as Pheribah.
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Replies
Pherity and Pheribah may then be cases of folk etymology — a mistaken attempt to "correct" the name to fit something more familiar.
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