GERMANY-PASSENGER-LISTS-L Archives

Archiver > GERMANY-PASSENGER-LISTS > 2007-08 > 1188471516


From: J Ebaugh <>
Subject: Re: [G-P-L] Name Usage/German-French-Latin
Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 03:58:36 -0700 (PDT)
In-Reply-To: <bf4.dc05c8d.34076aae@aol.com>


Hi Listers,

My paternal line was Alsatian Catholic. Prior to Napoleon, all their records were Church records in Latin, with Latin versions of the names. Afterwards, the records were civil records, in French, with the French verions of the names written by the civil authorities, who evidently were French or were required to write in French. However, when the records were signed by the parties in question or witnesses, they signed their names in the German version. Thus, a record for Jean was signed Johan(n), Pierre as Peter, etc.

Therefore, the name in the official Alsatian (Bas Rhin) records might not be what the person used in real life. People would not call a child by his Latin name just because it was in a church record as such, and the same was probably true of the French civil records, so I would not use that version IF they signed the record with the German equivalent. I personally go by the signature, if it's there, rather than the official record, no matter what it was. If no signature, then I go by whatever version seems to be prevalent in the related family records, whether German or French. Mine were mostly all German names until they left Alsace in 1828, even if born under French rule.

Janet


wrote: Hello you all! I am of western German origin,my family tree goes back to
1456. I have all or at least most documents through the local church, etc. Many
entries of documents befor 1820 were in either Latin or French. Remember
Napoleon Bonaparte!
Regards Peter Paul John Meyer ( also known as Petrus Paulus Ioannes Meyer)
born in Berlin.


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