[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Tidbits of Info

[Karl Krueger]

Well said Jerry. The best you can do Lexi is understand the possibilities that exist. Do not go by rules but you can think of them as being trends that show up repeatedly. Some of the trends that I see among Germans of our Polish-Volhynia interest are:
   
  1) In a family one son/daughter is often is often named after the father/mother or a grandfather/grandmother. This usually only holds hold for one son/daughter of the family if it does show up. I find the first son/daughter is more prone to be named like this.
   
  2) You may find certain first names being used often among a linked group of families (i.e. used by siblings or cousins). For example Samuel is a rather rare name among these Germans but it shows up repeatedly with my Hapke and Taron family lines and their cousins. Sometimes you can see a town influence in using the same name - they were not very inventive in what names they used but instead copied others. So Samuel also shows up more consistently in other families of my gg-grandparents' town.
   
  3) Watch out for first & second names given at birth (like Friedrich Wilhelm). While they usually went by their first name, some may have gone by their second name. I know of one case where a guy switched which name he went by after being married and I am considering another case where this may have happened. I have seen either name being used with females as well. It is also possible that another sibling might be given the first name of his brother's second name, or even the names are reversed (Wilhelm Friedrich). 
   
  4) Be aware of German-Polish variations of given names such as Bogumil = Gottlieb, Bogulaw = Gottfried, 
   
  5) Gottfried and Friedrich may be used interchangeably on different records. Emilie and Wilhelmine is another possible interchanged pair.
   
  I want to remind you like Jerry emphasized, these are some patterns we see but they are not rules. Just be aware of them as they may help explain certain inconsistencies you will run into in your research. Hopefully others will share more patterns they have noticed. 

Jerry Frank <FranklySpeaking at shaw.ca> wrote:
  Lexi:

Trying to establish rules or even guidelines regarding naming practices can be very tricky - perhaps even unwise. Just when you think you have found a pattern, the rule gets broken. If you rely too much on the pattern, your research can be slowed or may contain errors.

The example currently under discussion occurs but never with consistency. It may change from one generation to another, from one family branch to another; or may skip a generation or two. 

When you encounter anomalies, it is probably best to simply question them in a forum such as this. Chances are that someone else has "been there" and you will get an explanation.

In spite of my caution, I would encourage others to participate in this discussion by letting us know certain practices that you may have uncovered in your German research.


Jerry Frank




----- Original Message -----
From: "Donne, Alexsana" 
Date: Thursday, October 5, 2006 3:32 pm
Subject: Re: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Tidbits of Info

> Is there a set of guidelines somewhere for beginning genealogists? I
> discovered naming a child after a previous child by accident in my
> searches, along with certain family names being handed down over and
> over and over again.
> 
> Thanks,
> Lexi
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ger-poland-volhynia-bounces at eclipse.sggee.org
> [ger-poland-volhynia-
> 
> Hi Jerry 
> 
> I saw a comment you made at some web site which said
> it was common practice to name a child after a
> previous dead child with the same name.I found this
> very helpful and it answered some puzzles for me. I
> would like to know how you knew this. Is it something
> you read or just knew due to your heritage? It's
> little clues like this that can be very helpful. If it
> is something you read, there may be other helpful
> clues as well. 
> Regards Robert Norenberg 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Ger-Poland-Volhynia Mailing List hosted by
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> 


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