Debunking the Myth

Although the "two wives in the arbor story" is the most romantic theory of how Ann Arbor was named, the circumstances surrounding the actual origin remain somewhat of a mystery. Conceivably, the city's founders could have taken time out from their busy building schedules to build an arbor where they could relax when time and weather permitted. And it is generally believed that Ann Allen and Mary Ann Rumsey were the source for the "Ann" in the city's name. But the problem with the image of the two wives relaxing together in the arbor is Ann Allen and Mary Ann Rumsey did not arrive in Ann Arbor at the same time.

Mary Ann Rumsey arrived in February of 1824 with the her husband and John Allen, while Ann Allen did not arrive from Virginia until October of the same year. The name "Annarbour" was registered with the office of the Register of Deeds in Detroit on May 25th, 1824, three months before Ann Allen's arrival. 3 These facts show that the two Anns could not have relaxed together in the shade of an arbor before the name was officially registered. However, it is possible that one Ann, namely Mary Ann Rumsey, could have been taking some shade under an arbor constructed by Allen and Rumsey and was noticed by the men, who then thought up the name.

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