Darrell Abbey

Ancestors

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Closed Accounts WikiTree [send private message] and Janice Abbey [send private message]

Darrell Abbey was a wonderful member of our WikiTree community who has passed away. Darrell Abbey made many contributions and will be missed.

Biography

Not much to say, but as a child in a family of 8, I had an amazing childhood, as I grew up I had lots of opportunities, and am blessed with an amazing "smoking hot trophy wife"; we have been married almost 46 years (I was introduced to her by "her fiance")

I got interested in genealogy about 30 years ago when my grandfather Thomas Abbey showed me a stack of pedigree charts, personal notes, and family group sheets; all written out by hand - long before before the computer age. That was back when everything was still on microfiche and microfilm and unless you had your own library, you had to write pedigree charts and family group sheets by hand and you had to have a system to organize everything - it is soooo much easier today. He was also a great story teller and recited lots of details about our family ancestors. My family tree has grown since then and I how have almost 7,000 people listed.

In researching my family, I find many of my ancestors had to overcome considerable personal hardship in their lives. The knowledge that my ancestors had great inner strength is a powerful motivator for me trying to understand my place in the world. If it were not for them, I would not be here today writing these words.

On a lighter note, It's hard to be humble with ancestors like mine!

"We study the past to understand the present; we understand the present to guide the future." -- William Lund

History of Abbey Name Variations

Recorded in many spelling forms including the French and English Abba, Abbay, Abbe, Abbey, Abbate, Abbatt, Labbe, Labbey, Labey, Abade, the Scottish Abbie and Abbe, and the Italian Abbattini, Dell'Abate or Degli Abbati, this most interesting and unusual surname is of Olde French pre 10th century origins. It derives from the word "abet" which usually means a priest, but may have also, particularly in Italy, have referrred to a local chief or an official master of ceremonies. This indicates that several origins are possible, including a nickname for one who was thought to be rather "priestly" in his characteristics, or an occupational or status name for a local chief or official, or that it may be theatrical and a "casting" name for an actor, one who played the part of a priest in the famous travelling theatres of the medieval period. Despite the first recording shown below the name is unlikely, as a hereditary surname, to have originated from an actual abbe or priest. These members of the clergy since the 11th century, have been expected to be unmarried and celibate. Whether they were or not is open to some discussion, particulary as occasionally this surname is recorded as a patronymic or diminutive, indicating the "son of the abbe!". The surname is first recorded in any form anywhere in the world in England in 1177, when Ralph Le Abbe appears in the charters of London during the reign of King Henry 11 (1154 - 1189). Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Abbey#ixzz2ufWaLPMo

• First-hand information. Entered by Darrell Abbey at registration.
• https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/darrell-abbey-obituary?pid=190693884