Skip to main content

Week 3: Namesake: How Many Named George Washington

This is my fourth year working on this year-long 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow. I will write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.

Last week I wrote about my daughter’s 5x-great-grandfather, who might have served in a Pennsylvania militia under George Washington. That got me thinking about how many of our ancestors and collateral family members were named after George Washington. I only found a few.

George Washington Shotts (1840-1927), was the son of Daniel Shotts and Mary Ann Bishop. Daniel was the son of David Shotts, our legendary militiaman. Was he named because of the legend? George went by George W. Shotts.

George Washington Quigley (1875?-1946) was the brother of John Vir Quigley, who married my grandmother’s sister, Ethel Sullivan. The only record found with his full name was the 1920 census. Otherwise, he was listed as George W or G.W. Quigley.

George Washington Selman (1842-1905) was the son of James Selman and Amanda Deborah Oldham. Most records listed him as George W. Selman, however, in the book Over the Mountain.[1]

George Washington Shettles (1839-?) was son of David Shettles and Sarah Nixon.[2]

Elizabeth “Bettie” Jones, daughter of Benjamin Jones and Amanda Haley, married George Washington Knox.

None of these men are direct ancestors, but it is interesting to see how families named their children after famous people.  There is one Benjamin Franklin Selman, and two with Thomas Jefferson: Thomas Jefferson Haley and Thomas Jefferson Lancaster.


[1] Martha L. Crabb, Over the Mountain: A Narrative History of the Selman, Bean, and Germany Families, (Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1990), p. 75.

[2] Nixon, David, John Medlock, (http://www.ba044ancestry.com/MEDLOCKMATLOCK/JohnMedlocksonofJohnandJudith.html), 12 Aug 2011,Mary Parthenia Medlock & Abner Nixon.


Copyright © 2021 by Lisa S. Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.

Comments