[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Surname spelling changes

[Gary Warner]

To all,

To add yet another true example to Jerry's email about family names, I 
offer the following:

My great-grandfather's surname was Schaumann per his Russian passport and 
also per other old Russian records (ones that were written in German!).  He 
had six sons who you would think would use his surname.  That is not the 
case for all but one of them, and it had nothing to do with any immigration 
officer, but rather personal desire for a certain name.  My example does 
not even totally follow the sounds like rule.

One remained a Schaumann
Two of his sons became Schuman
Two became Shauman
One became Sherman

Gary Warner
Gig Harbor, WA

At 09:21 AM 7/15/2003, Jerry Frank wrote:
>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
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