[dropcap]P[/dropcap]lease do not read further if you struggle with the fact that some people past and present have and do practice casual racism. With a disclaimer that this I am sure you know what Nig stands for. I am not approving of racism, casual or not. I do approve of preserving the past for education.
My husband and I had only been together for a few months when he took me to meet his grandmother. I had only ever heard referred to as Granny King. It wasn’t long before I found her nickname was Nig. I thought it was a little odd sounding but did not think anything of it. I was not shocked so Granny told the story.
It is a simple and short story. When Granny King was a young kid she went and was playing in coal and came out of the experience covered in soot. Her face was black. Her family laughed at her in the unplanned blackface. From here anyone reading should understand, what it had taken me a while to understand. She got the name Nig, short for nigger. It stuck with her throughout her life.
This was not the only unusual thing about her name. Granny thought her name was Mildred Ida Hanckcock. It was actually Mildred Pauline Hancock. She found this out when she was marrying JR King. As she was going to change her last name to King so she just took the opportunity to claim all her names. She legally became Mildred Ida Pauline Hancock.
I do not want future generations being confused over Granny and Grandpa King due to their names.
JR King and his name issues. JR is harder to tackle than Nig.
JR King a man of many names
- John Russell King
- John Russell King, Jr.
- John R. King
- John R. King, Jr.
- J R King
- J R King, Jr.
- JR King, Jr.
I want to clarify the matter of his name.
First Name: JR Middle Name: Surname: King
Note it is not the First Name: J Middle Name: R Surname: King
To avoid confusion over his name when he was serving in World War II, the clarified that He did not have a first a middle name in the traditional sense. He was J (Only) R (Only) King aka Jonly Ronly King.
I have been trying for years to clarify his name in the genealogy community. As recently as this week, listed as J R King, Jr. online. I know Jonly Ronly sounds silly but if the family notes this and the other names he is seen carrying it would be a peace of mind.
I honestly never knew. LOL She was always just “Nig” to me! I can see where the disclaimer came about but to me it was just her name. I never in my life knew her as anything else. I know divorce is hard but i never remember any disruption between grandparents which is a God sent! I was at their house as some other grand kid from a different family and remember the beagle dogs he had.
Imagine a little girl, with a black face, taking her little fists to her eyes and wiping the soot off so she had white circles around her eyes. The mental image makes me laugh. Granny always had great stories and gossip! Wish I had met JR, but I am honored to have worked on his family history for over 20 years. I have heard so much about him and his beagles! Like my Tom says, his parent’s divorce never changed that Granny and JR loved you.