[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Surname spelling changes

[Jerry Frank]

There has been some discussion on this list regarding a possible change in 
spelling a specific surname.  I would like to add this comment which 
applies to all of us.

The spelling of a surname is NOT determined by the scribe who writes 
it.  It IS determined by the family that uses it.

We sometimes hear stories about a family whose surname was changed by an 
immigration official at Ellis Island to something completely different from 
what it was in Europe.  In over 15 years of genealogical research, I have 
NEVER seen any verified instance of such a change.  Our immigrant families 
were neither stupid nor totally illiterate.  If they Anglicized a spelling 
or changed their name, it was because they chose to do so.  Their record at 
entry into the country did not follow them to their final destination 2000 
miles away.

In North America (perhaps also in Germany) we tend to think in terms of a 
LEGAL name, something that has become very important in the society and 
culture in which we live.  There is nothing legal about the immigrant 
list.  It is simply a record of entry.  The same is true for a 19th century 
record of baptism in Volhynia.

The Jost family which migrated to Alberta may have entered as Yost on the 
passenger list but continue to be known as Jost in the German ethnic 
community in which they settled.  The Kreutz family may have changed their 
name to Cross upon settling in the States but their passenger list record 
shows them as Kreitz.

My ancestor, Peter Girschewski, migrated from Pomerania to Volhynia and 
that spelling appears in the record books there.  The name continued with 
that spelling in Canada.  However, the branch that went to the States 
became known as Geschefske.  Interestingly enough, I cannot even prove that 
Peter used the Girschewski spelling in Volhynia.  I do know that he was a 
Kantor and therefore probably had educational skills to provide an accurate 
spelling of the name as they used it.

These families choose how their name is spelled.  Sometimes they are able 
to communicate that to the scribes that write it.  Other times they don't 
communicate an accurate spelling or they don't care if it is spelled 
accurately.  The reason for a change is not often carried down in family lore.

Each time you move back a generation in your research, you must be aware of 
a possible change in spelling.  Each time you investigate the siblings of a 
family, you must be aware that one or more of them may have later changed 
the spelling.  The key word is AWARE.  If you keep your senses open to 
possible changes, you will not miss valuable family connections.



Jerry Frank - Calgary, Alberta
jkfrank at shaw.ca