What's in a Name?

I have always known what I would name a son should I have a baby boy. It's my husband's name, his dad's name, and his grandfather's name. Should we be blessed with a boy in our life, we will have....

Winfield Andrew Scott IV

Yes, you read that right. I've been Mrs. Winfield Andrew Scott III for almost ten years now. I love his name. I usually joke that I should be a much wealthier woman with a name like that!

Monday is Mr. Scott's 31st birthday. Not a big birthday by any means, but a birthday nonetheless. Today, he received his very special birthday gift in the mail from his father, Drew. He made this....

This shadow box is representative of the Winfield Scott's in our history. Andrew's grandfather (most commonly called Scotty by friends and family and married to Sissy) was the first Winfield Andrew Scott. However, his father (Andrew's great grandfather) was Winfield Scott II (I don't know that middle name, known in the family as "Boppy"). In total, there were five Winfields in a direct line. The gift came along with a note from his father explaining...

"a Winfield shrine. It has a plaster dog I made for Dad when I was in kindergarten. He kept it on his desk until he retired in 1983. The picture of Boppy was taken at his 92nd birthday party. The Elgin watch was a wedding present from Sis to Dad. He left for the European War shortly after they married 12/19/1942. "

Yes, the teenage boy in the tux is my handsome man, probably about age 14 or 15. There is another picture of him at the top with his father around age 6, and a picture of Drew reading in his father's lap as a young child. The dog tag is from WWII. The round picture with the blue around it is Andrew's grandfather, Scotty. It's his badge for the oil company, which became Exxon.

Along with this gift, Drew also included the following...


The paper above is discharge papers from the Civil War. Drew's note says the following about it..."In the papers are some things you may find interesting. Winfield Scott, Dad's grandfather, fought in the Civil War, and his original discharge paper is included. Mom (Sissy) typed a brief history of him, his wife, and their son 'Winfield aka Boppy' that is included. One thing that Mom told me, and she makes reference in her history, is that Winfield (Dad's grandfather) was an inventor. The bicycle gear was his patent and was sold for $70.00 to the Schwinn family. "

So, Andrew's great great grandfather invented the bicycle chain that is used on all bikes today. After he died, his wife was poor and couldn't provide for her family, including Winfield Scott Junior (Andrew's great grandfather Boppy--he died less than six months after Andrew was born). She sold the patent to Mr. Schwinn for $70.

I'm fascinated by this history. I'm even more excited to possibly have Winfield Andrew Scott IV one day (he will be Drew) and see the history he may one day create for himself.

To my Winfield--Happy birthday, Andrew! I love you so much. I can't imagine my life without you! I look forward to sharing the experience of another child (boy or girl!) hopefully sometime in the near future. We will be spending many more birthdays together.