Talk:Cecily Jordan Farrar

A fresh start for Cecily Jordan Farrar?

This page was created to replace the Cecily Jordan Farrar page that had been removed after being up many years. In this version, I tried to integrate information from the older drafts, while provided a good mix of references. Most of the references directly address some aspect of Jordan's life. A few provide narrative context to help give an anchor to the dates. All the elements which show Cecily as an actor (head of household, disavowing Pooley's claim) are substantiated by the sources, almost all of which are hyperlinked, and most of which are easily accessible. (Though some may require a free account to jstor.) The narrative should help show Cecily's significance in early American colonial history.

I also added about Temperance Bailey, though its relation to Cecily's life narrative is more indirect. The reason for this is that throughout the history of this article, people have constantly been asserting that Cecily married a Bailey (variously named John, William or Thomas). She may have, but there is no documentation that makes this argument conclusive. (Personally, I would wager Temperance was Cecily's child, but as mentioned, there is no evidence.) I felt addressing this would perhaps reduce other genealogical tack-ons (e.g., making Cecily into a Reynolds, Phippen or Fludd, or claiming that she remarried up to five times, all of which are also undocumented and seem the product of genealogical wishful thinking.) I also added an image of Va. DHR road marker as its text helps emphasize the ambiguity surrounding Cecily Jordan and Temperance. The DHR marker also serves as a secondary source it too underwent a peer-review process that is outlined on Va. Dept of Historical Resources website (see marker application process).

Hopefully this article makes the case that Cecily Jordan Farrar is a historical figure worthy of her own article as a woman in American history. If you look at the Wikipedia article on Women of Colonial Virginia, you will see that all the one's listed at the end of the article have their own article. A simple comparison with Cecily's role shows she is a worthy peer of these other entries.

Finally, there is a chapter devoted to her in Miller's, 2016, Women of Colonial America: 13 Stories of Courage and Survival in the New World. (Though I have no evidence to support the claim, I bet it is quite probable that Wikipedia's original article may have played a role in getting her needed visibility to join the ranks of the other women in the book.) This is a book for young adults, but shows her worthiness as a role model for women of today.

Wtfiv (talk) 16:04, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

I also added the tobacco painting from the National Park Services, as it is close in time to when Jordan's Journey was in operation. It illustrates that during the time of Cecily Jordan's life, black slavery had not yet taken root in the colony. (However, plantations did rely on indentured servitude.) Wtfiv (talk) 23:34, 21 January 2019 (UTC).

Original research

The Temperance Bailey section is original research as previously discussed, the article is danger of becoming a "family history project" again I fear. Theroadislong (talk) 18:49, 23 January 2019 (UTC)

The Temperance Bailey section functions as a resource of secondary research for the people who are interested in the Jordan/Bailey connection. The consensus opinion of the sources, which are cited, is that Cecily is likely to be Temperance's mother. Though the section expresses the consensus, it clearly states that the evidence of Temperance's parentage remains inconclusive: Probability≠Fact. Revised from original Wtfiv (talk) 17:40, 25 January 2019 (UTC)

Cecily's Name

(Initiated by edits by Theroadislong, which globally replaced single instances of "Cecily" with "Farrar")

Theroadislong, I had to elaborate on your edit, as it caused much confusion. Cecily's maiden name is unknown. It is speculated (with some justification) that she married a Baley, but no evidence. She did not become a Farrar until her marriage to William Farrar after the Jamestown Muster, where she and William were both listed as head of house at Jordan's Jorney(sic). When you changed refences of Cecily to Farrar, you left the enclylopaedic impression that she was at all times a Farrar. She was not a Farrar during the Greville Pooley v Cecily Jordan dispute, nor was she a Farrar when she landed at Jamestown in 1610, or at the time of the 1624/25 Muster. Changing references to Cecily Jordan (where appropriate) and Cecily Jordan Farrar were necessary to keep the timeline historically accurate. As regards the MOS about using first names, that should be changed, especially for women in the Anglo Saxon social environment. Reference please to MOS.ThanksOldperson (talk) 23:17, 12 April 2019 (UTC)

I assume the intent of the global change of name was an "automated" attempt to bring the article more into line with Wikipedia's Manual of Style suggested (i.e., "In general") guidelines for referencing surnames. As Oldperson points out, Cecily's case is too complex for a simple solution by global replacement. Her original maiden name is unknown and her known married surnames are intertwined with the narrative of her historical significance. Careful referencing of her given name and surnames are needed to maintain a coherent, accurate narrative. The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis article provides one precedent for handling the historical complexities of a woman's multiple surnames via a mix of given name and surname references. I have attempted to clean up the the damage done by the global replacement, while trying to respect what I assume was the global replacement's intention. I also aimed to maintain the changes by Oldperson. Revised by Wtfiv (talk) 01:24, 20 April 2019 (UTC)