My name matters. Who is “Kaye-Lea?” Well, she was going to be Me. This is the name my parents were going to name Me—it is a combination of the middle names of my two grandmothers, Tonya Kaye and Tracie Lea. Sweet, but not Me. I do not want to minimize this name. ‘Kaylee” does have significant meaning. It is of English origin meaning “laurel” and “crown.” In Hebrew: “pure and chaste.” In Welch, “slender.” Yes, I do represent all of these things and more but not Me.
Grandma recently asked my Mom “why did you change your mind and changed my name to Madeleine Rose?” Did she read a story about a character named Madeleine? Did she watch a movie with an actor named Madeleine? Does she know anyone by the name Madeleine?” No, but Mama does remember the day she decided my name was going to change. She was sitting, crocheting and thinking about Me (no surprise there) and my new name strongly entered her mind and she knew that was Me. I would be known as Madeleine Rose. Note: Rose is my Mama’s middle name and the name of my 2nd Great Grandmother Rose Lucille Stone (1910-1988)
Unlike KayeLea, the name Madeleine is the French derivative of the Hebrew “of Magdela.” In French, it means “woman of the tower.” Many old French Catholic parents named their daughter Madeleine if she was born on a Sunday because Sunday is the Day of Mary, the mother of Christ. In fact, if you are named Madeleine in France, there is a high probability that you are born into a Catholic family. It was only a few weeks ago that Grandma discovered another maternal family branch on my Family Tree—yes, from France and yes, very, very Catholic.
In 1845, my 5th Great-grandmother Marie Louis LeJeal, only 3 years old, immigrated with her family to New York passing through Elis Island on a ship named Argo.
Why did they leave???There are many reasons. I should mention here the discovery of my 9th Great-Grandmother whom I share my name but never left France:
There are several other Madeleine’s nestled on the French branch of my family tree. However, there is one in particular I would like to mention. Her story mirrors the majority of families living in the Bas-Rhin, Alsace region of France for about 300 years (1720-1920.) Madeleine Garner (1786-1849) is my 7th Great-grand Aunt. She was the mother of 13 children. Seven of the children died before their 1stbirthday. This was the norm and not the exception for French and German Catholic families in this region. The child mortality rates ranged from 30-40 percent. In particular, in the Strasbourg area, one-half of all babies died just months old. This is the reason “Why” my LeJeal family finally left France and sailed to America.
Not only was disease rampant, but the practice of poor hygiene, open sewage mixed with drinking water (Typhus), communal cups and pails and the French practice of letting out infants to “wet nurses” (because mothers had to work in the factories and on farms in this region.) This led to widespread neglect and insufficient nutrition.
I compare these living conditions to where I am now. My NICU room at The Children’s Hospital in Houston is one of the most sterile environments in the world! My nurses are skilled, they keep me clean and they feed me! I have dozens and dozens of distant cousins, who for generations upon generations, were not. As beautiful as France is now, how beautiful the French people are, the romance of their language, and their delicious pastries….I am so HAPPY to be Here, born in the United States during a time when I have the best chances of living no matter my circumstances.
Thank-you God. Thank-you for knowing that because of that Easter Morning, about 2000 years ago, All will be resurrected and be able to live with their families forever. I have a good one—My Family I mean. It is so good to know that I am connected to them in a very, very real way—not only by name but by the power of our Savior’s love for all of his children, yesterday, today, and forever.
Click here for the next Madeleine Page titled “Two Beautiful Roses of Texas.”
https://spinabifidamadeleines.blog/two-beautiful-roses-of-texas/
I am Madeleine Rose 