|
A GENEALOGICAL HANDBOOK OF GERMAN RESEARCH |
|
Table of Contents
Introduction
Acknowldegements
Chapter 1 Historical And Geographical
Chapter 2 Emigration Before 1800
Chapter 3 Emigration After 1800
Chapter 4 Determining The Place Of Origin L.d.s. Sources
Chapter 5 Determining The Place Of Origin U.S. Sources
Chapter 6 Determining The Place Of Origin European Sources
Chapter 7 Analyzing Surnames And Place Names
Chapter 8 Locating The Parish
Chapter 9 Determining The Present Name Of Localities
Chapter 10 Conducting An Area Search
Chapter 11 Record Repositories
Chapter 12 Naming Practices (patronymics And Occupational)
Chapter 13 Naming Practices (farm And Locality)
Chapter 14 Handwriting And Terminology Beginning
Chapter 15 Handwriting And Terminology Intermediate
Chapter 16 Handwriting And Terminology Advanced
Chapter 17 Feast Days And Calendars
Chapter 18 Finding A Birth Record
Chapter 19 Finding A Marriage Record
Chapter 20 Finding A Death Record
Chapter 21 Corresponding For Records
Chapter 22 German Genealogical And Family Organizations
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
Appendix F
Index
Translative
Many Germans, upon immigrating to America, merely changed their names to the English equivalent of the German. The following are examples of this:
Of all the name changes, this was by far the least confusing. The only real problem this may cause is that in tracing an ancestor that changed his name this way, you may not realize that he was German and, therefore, not look for him under the German equivalent of the name. Often, the only clues would be the area in America where he was residing. If the family name stops in a heavy German settlement area, then it is a strong indication that he was German, and that you will need to change the name to the German equivalent in order to continue the search for the family in Germany.
Anglicization of Names
Quite often, these were names that did not have English equivalents. Usually, because the German form was difficult to pronounce, the name was changed to make it easier. These changes were usually based on phonetics. As the Germans pronounced the names, the Americans wrote it down the way they thought it sounded. The following are examples of this:
To be able to decipher the anglicized forms, you must have an understanding of German phonetics. The following are a few of these:
With an understanding of these phonetics it becomes easier to determine what the former German spellings of anglicized names were.
There were many Germans, who upon coming to America, changed their names completely. These American names neither meant the same as the German nor were they anglicized forms of them. There were also those who changed their names to the name of the locality.or variations of it, from where they were from in Germany. The reasons behind these changes are not clear. It is known that in many areas of Germany, complete name changes were a common occurrence, see Chapters 12 and 13 for more information on these types of names. These practices may have been a carry over from these German areas.
This type of name change causes the most difficult type of problem in research procedures. Because of it, determining the former name can sometimes be almost impossible. One of the best sources for helping to determine the former name is the parish or church records. If the immigrant was married and had small children when he came to America, the confirmation records of the children in the church in America may give his former name and possibly his place of birth in Germany. Sometimes the christening records of children born in America may indicate the former name of the immigrant as well. The only other possibility would be either the port records or passenger lists if it can be determined when they came to America.
Phonetics
In Germany the people were more concerned with how a name was pronounced than how it was spelled. Based on the pronunciation, a learned person should be able to spell it correctly. Just how valid an assumption that was is illustrated by the following church record. Over the period of three generations the surname Mosis changed to Mosese, Mosesen, Moses, and then to Muses. Another example is the surname Goos which was also written as Goess, Goesmann, Goes, Gausman, and Gaus within a two generation time period. You may even find a person whose surname was spelled one way when he was christened, another way when he was married, and still other ways with the christenings of the children.
Dialects
Dialects also played an important role in name changes. Each community established its own dialect. The further away a person moved from his own community, the greater the difference in dialect and the more likely that his name would be written differently.
PLACE NAMES
It should be noted that much of what has been written concerning surnames will apply to German place names as well.
Although it did not occur as frequently as other types of names changes, there were some places where the English equivalent of the place name was given. The following are some examples:
Anglicization
Of all the types of place name changes, this is by far the most frequent. Again, because of the difficulty in pronouncing these places in English, the Americans wrote these places the way they sounded to them. The following are some examples of this type of change:
Often the last part of the place name will remain the same. If this is the case, it may be possible to determine the general area in Germany where the place was located. In Appendix C is a list of place endings and the kingdoms and provinces in Germany where they are usually found.
Again, an understanding of the German phonetics is essential in deciphering place names that have been anglicized.
Because of phonetics as well as dialects, place names in Germany also underwent changes. The close proximity of a place to another country and the shifting of borders between countries resulted in the changing of the names of places within those areas. These changes, however, do not cause as great a research problem as those pertaining to surnames.
Exactness and Verification
Because surname and place name changes existed, the risk increases of tracing the wrong pedigree line in the wrong place. Researchers must constantly ask themselves whether they have the correct person in the correct place or not. They should not stop here either but should do all that they can to verify this information. A thorough researcher, in tracing an ancestor to another locality, would not be content if he indeed found an individual by that name being born at the approximate time period that he needed. He would also search the surrounding parishes to determine if there was another one by the same name being born about the same time. Whether he found another one or not, he would go through the process of verifying if this individual could in fact be his ancestor. This he would do by checking the death and marriage records, if they were available. The questions that he would ask himself are: Did this individual die before or after my ancestor died? Did this individual marry someone other than the one my ancestor married? Did he marry before or after my ancestor married? Are there probate records for the ancestor's father which identify the ancestor as the son, his wife as the daughter-in-law, or his children as grandchildren?
Exactness in research cannot be overemphasized. There have been too many who have wasted time and money in tracing the wrong lines in the wrong areas because someone was careless in making assumptions and did not take the time to be exact in his research or to verify his findings.
Previous Document Next Document
Copyright 1996, by Larry O. Jensen. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be translated or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the author. Printed in the U.S.A.
Chapter 7 Analyzing Surnames and Place Names
German Surnames in America
Schwarz - Black
Schneider - Taylor
Baer - Bear
Becker - baker
Zimmerman - Carpenter
Mohler - Miller
Scharff - Sharp
Klein - Little
Guhr - Gerr
Kurrer - Kerr
Dirsch - Dearth
Pfeil - File
Schafer - Shaffer
Veicht - Fight
Deves - Davis
Zeise - Size
Long A - as in father
Long U - as in be (rounded lips)
Short A - as in artistic
Short U - as in lip (rounded lips)
Long E - as in late
AU - ou as in house
Short E - as in bet
AU - oi as in oil
Long I - as in machine
EU - oi as in oil
Short I - as in sin
AI - I as in fine
Long 0 - as in bone
EI - I as in fine
Short 0 - as in omit
IE e as in be
Long U - as in pool
SCH - as in sh
Short U - as in pull
CK - as in k
Long A - as in their
DT-as int
Short A - as in let
J - y as in you
Long O - as in lane (rounded lips)
Th - as in t
Short O - as in ten (rounded lips)
V- f as in father
W - v as in very
Total Change
Surnames In Germany
Place Names in America
Translative
Koln - Cologne
Westfalen - Westphalia
Munchen - Munich
Pfalz - Palatinate
Bretzenaker - Bretzenacre
Grunlinde - Greenlinde
Breslau - Brechlau
Brietzen - Breedsen
Breisach - Brisah
Braunschweig - Bronswik
Detmold - Depnoilt
Varenholz - Farenhaultz
Stuttgart - Studgard
Pulvermuhle - Polfermeall
Place Names in Germany
[FamilySearchTM: Research Guidance
Version of Data: 6/7/2001]