In 1836 James Daniel Royster began a curious family tradition — he named all his children after states.

He named his sons Iowa Michigan Royster, Arkansas Delaware Royster, Wisconsin Illinois Royster, Vermont Connecticut Royster, and Oregon Minnesota Royster.

The daughters were named Virginia Carolina Royster and Indiana Georgia Royster.

The practice came to a wider knowledge a century later — Royster’s great-grandson, Vermont Connecticut Royster, won two Pulitzer Prizes as editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal.