Genealogy Chat
Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!
- The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
- You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
- And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
- The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.
Quick Search
Single word search
Icons
- New posts
- No new posts
- Thread closed
- Stickied, new posts
- Stickied, no new posts
Alcesta... is this a name?
| Profile | Posted by | Options | Post Date |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Sue (Sylvia Z ) | Report | 16 Apr 2004 11:04 |
|
I have a printout of 1851 Census and one female christian name seems to be spelt Alcesta. Has anyone come across this before? I know that one ancestor was called Ladysmith after the siege there, but is Alcesta something historical or just made up? Any ideas please. Sue |
|||
|
Janet | Report | 16 Apr 2004 11:27 |
|
I typed Alcesta into Google, and some results came up - one indicating that its a type of butterfly, and another giving it as someone's first name. Jan. |
|||
|
Unknown | Report | 16 Apr 2004 13:15 |
|
Probably a version of Alcestis. She was a character in Greek mythology who offered to die in place of her husband Admetus. Later Admetus' friend Hercules rescued her. I believe there was a French play called Alceste [by Racine?] so perhaps Alcesta was an Anglicised version of that. Helen. |
|||
|
Sue (Sylvia Z ) | Report | 16 Apr 2004 18:27 |
|
Thank you Jan and Helen It makes a bit more sense now. Sue |
|||
|
Lysianne | Report | 16 Apr 2004 21:07 |
|
Hi I've definitely seen it in French (as Helen said); I'm sure Helen's right about the Racine; my French lit at university was almost exclusively medieval, so anything past about 1350 is beyond my time. There is also a character in Molière's play Le Misanthrope called Alceste, though... Lysianne |
|||