I'm Evelyn Pitt... Who are you?
How the Culpers came to be the Culpers
George Washington and his intelligencers, when looking to assign code names to their primary agent, started with the initials of the head of intelligence—Charles Scott, C.S. Then they reversed them—S.C. This would be the initials of the primary Culper officer. For the “C,” Washington chose a place he had fond memories of, Culpeper County, Virginia, where he worked as a lad. Then he shortened it to Culper. For the “S,” Tallmadge (the head officer of the ring) decided on “Samuel,” his younger brother’s name, and a good friend of the man who would be adopting the identity. So there we have it! Samuel Culper, the creation that became the bane of the British.
Let's Create Our Name!
1. Start with a name of a teacher, parent, or boss
I'm going to pick Patricia Egan, one of my favorite bosses from my college days
2. Take their initials and reverse 'em
So P.E. becomes E.P.3. Think of a place important to you that starts with the second initial
I'm going to pick Pittsburgh, because it's the closest major city whose sports teams we like4. Shorten, lengthen, or otherwise alter the place name into a surname
So Pittsburgh becomes Pitt. No relation to Brad, ahem. ;-)
5. Think of a family member or friend whose name begins with the first initial
(not the same one you got the name from!)
E, in my family, is for Evelyn.My great-grandmother's name, and the middle name of my grandmother, mom, and daughter.
So there you have it! Who are you??
~*~
Roseanna M. White pens
her novels under the Betsy Ross flag hanging above her desk, with her
Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When she isn’t writing
fiction, she’s editing it for WhiteFire Publishing or reviewing it for
the Christian Review of Books, both of which she co-founded with her
husband.
This is fun! My mom's middle name was Evelyn and she was named after an aunt. I love that name and bet you do, too! Hmm, I am gonna come back later and figure out who I am, Ro. Great article, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI do indeed love the name Evelyn--gave it to my daughter as a middle name. =)
DeleteOkay, I ended up with the name Jackie Miss.
ReplyDeleteInteresting info about the Culpers. Thanks for sharing and God bless.
I've done some studying also of the Revolutionary War spies and the Culper Ring for my WIP. The evolution of the world of intelligence is fascinating. A fun post, Roseanna.
ReplyDelete