Monica Nelida

If you don’t know by now, my name (in part) is Monica Nelida. First name, Monica. Middle name, Nelida. These names were given to me at birth by my mother. My mother said she always liked the name Monica and Nelida was one of her best friend’s name. My last name at birth was Barker. My full government at birth was Monica Nelida Barker. Due to two marriages and then a legal name change, my surname has changed a few times.

My first name means advisor or counselor. My middle name means beacon, as in a beacon of light. Barker is someone who barks or yells. Crowley and Bailey are the names in marriage that I’ve taken in the past. Currently, Kemper is my last name in homage to my late grandfather, Louis Aubrey Kemper. Louis died about a month before my father was born.

My first name change was when I got married to my two daughter’s father, the late Timothy Crowley. He and I were married for about a year, long distance. We were married while he was in prison. Conjugal visits are not allowed in US federal prisons, so our marriage was not consummated. We did have two daughters together before we were married. For a short while, I was Monica Crowley. I filed for divorce while he was still in prison and the divorce was final after he was released.

My second marriage was to Rodney Bailey, Sr., who I have two sons with. Our first son was conceived while I was still in my first marriage. Our second son came after the divorce. Rodney and I were together for 7 years before we were married and I became Monica Bailey. We were separated and divorced after a little more than year or so of marriage.

My current last name is my paternal grandfather’s name. My father was not given his biological father’s name at birth. My grandmother shared basic information about my grandfather with me and I began to do some geanological research. I then decided to legally change my last name in honor of my grandfather. My name is currently Monica Nelida Kemper.