[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] churches in Vohlynia

[Jerry Frank]

My only disagreement here is that immigration officials never changed the name of an immigrant.  They did not rely on verbal reports but copied the names that were on the immigrant's travel documents and passports.  Certainly there were transcription errors, some that may have even matched what an immigrant used at his final destination.  However, if the immigrant changed the spelling from what it was in Europe, it was done at his own volition upon arrival at his new home.


Jerry



----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerald Klatt" <gerald.klatt at shaw.ca>
To: ger-poland-volhynia at sggee.org, "Charlotte Dubay" <hoeserhistory at aol.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2013 5:06:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] churches in Vohlynia

There can be any number of reasons for the various spelling of names. There
was no standardised spelling initially, it was all by sound. The recording
person wrote what he heard and how he thought it should be spelt [just like
I did there]. If the person had a speech impediment or missing front teeth,
it could sound different to the recording person and get recorded that way.

Also, there were times in history,  depending on where they were living, it
may have been beneficial to change the name for political reasons. I have a
family member named 'Stachoske', they changed it for a time from that Polish
sounding name to the more German sounding 'Stach'. After the WW2 and once
they were securely settled in West Germany, they reverted back to the
original.

When our parents or ancestors first landed in NA, and depending on their
Port of Entry, immigration officials couldn't get the tongue or ears around
umlauts. English doesn't use them.  Names like Mueller, Oelke and
Haemmerling became Miller or Muller, Elke or Ehlke, Hammerling or
Hemmerling. If they landed in the US they could have adopted a different
spelling from the cousins in Canada.

As Charlotte points out, it can be a challenge. The uninformed that  insist
we can't possibly be from the same family. We spell our name differently.

Gerald


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charlotte Dubay" <hoeserhistory at aol.com>
To: <ger-poland-volhynia at sggee.org>
Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2013 3:23 PM
Subject: [Ger-Poland-Volhynia] churches in Vohlynia


>
>
> Like much of European history and geography at the time, it is so muddy. 
> Names change, places change hands, people move, people are called by 
> different "names"...etc. I think it is so interesting, but as I tell all 
> of my cousins who are not involved in genealogy research, nothing is set 
> in stone. (I also always preface my work with "These are my facts - until 
> I find new data". That is not copyrighted so you are welcome to use it. 
> hah)
>
> BTW, some family cousins get very upset with me. I find a record where 
> their loved one's name is spelled differently, or their birthplace is 
> questioned, and my cousins want me to use the data that THEY "know is 
> right". I tell them that I cannot/willnot change the records that I find, 
> but will include both dates, names, or whatever. Not so good for me! (One 
> cousin keeps telling me that their father "spelled his name wrong" until 
> he was 21!) Gotta laugh!
>
> Charlotte DuBay
> hoeserhistory at aol.com
>
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