I was not quite 4 yrs old when Pearl Harbor was bombed. My mothers mother
was American born of German parents and had many relatives in AR, some of
whom had been born in Germany and had been listed as enemy aliens during
WWI. Because he knew we probably would not be able to travel again for a
long time, my father took us all to AR to visit the aunts, uncles, cousins,
etc, that Mama had not seen in many years. I remember one of her great
uncles, then in his 80s who was upset because he feared that he and the
rest of the family would be targeted again because of their German names and
the German they spoke among themselves. None of them changed their names,
but they began to speak English even among themselves so that German
eventually died out in their area in AR. I remember the wonderful German
food, the Christmas trees cut down in the woods and the general kindness
they showered on us, 4 west Texans, and how much we liked them. During WWI
it became illegal in Texas to teach in any language but English in order to
stop the speaking of German in public schools. Like now, fear made it a
good idea to fit in, but unlike now, we were not in danger from our own
government.
-----Original Message-----
From: carpenter-bounces(a)rootsweb.com [mailto:carpenter-bounces@rootsweb.com]
On Behalf Of Barbara de Mare
Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 7:57 PM
To: carpenter(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: Re: [CARPENTER] Zimmerman to Carpenter in America
So its not far-fetched that my husband's grandmother after her German
husband died in the flu epidemics would have changed her name back to her
maiden French name (de Mare) to teach French in the schools?
"John R. Carpenter" <johnrcarpenter(a)cox.net> wrote: Hello,
Many Germans anglicized their surnames and locals because of World War One.
See Links below. Many others settled in America and adapted to their
English speaking neighbors by changing or anglicizing their names.
For example; My oldest sister was born Eugenie Hannalora and when we came to
America, she took an English version; Laura Gean.
Another example; My next oldest sister was born Sieglinde Margareta and
when we came to America, she took an English version; Linda Margaret.
Why? My mother was a German national and German law required German names.
German laws changed by the time I was born, allowing me to be John Robert
instead of Johan Roberto. ;-)
John R. Carpenter
La Mesa, CA
Carpenter Cousins Y-DNA Project
http://members.cox.net/johnrcarpenter/index.htm
Carpenter CD Project Update
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/a/r/John-R-Carpenter/index
Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_American#Assimilation_and_World_War_I_an
ti-German_sentiment
Some Germans during this time "Americanized" their names (e.g. Schmidt to
Smith, Müller to Miller, Rickenbacher to Rickenbacker, Eisenhauer to
Eisenhower) and limited their use of the German language in public places.
Similarly, foods with German names such as sauerkraut and bratwurst were
renamed "liberty cabbage" and "liberty sausage". In Chicago Frederick
Stock
temporarily stepped down as conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
until he finalized his naturalization papers. Berlioz replaced Wagner on
programs. In Cincinnati, reaction to anti-German sentiment during World War
I caused the Public Library of Cincinnati to withdraw all German books from
its shelves.[19] German-named streets were renamed. For example, in
Indianapolis, a street named Germania Avenue was renamed Pershing Ave.-for
a World War I general of German descent.
http://www.newberry.org/genealogy/news/default.asp?id=173&action=single
Street names from German to English during WW1 in Chicago.
http://usa.usembassy.de/germanamericans-language.htm
During World War I, many German-Americans discontinued the use of German to
demonstrate their patriotism. Many German newspapers ceased publication.
There are to this day, however, still a small number of German language
newspapers. The German "Washington Journal" is, for example, the oldest
newspaper in the nation's capital.
http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Search/rg/guide/Ger_BMD_RefDoc_HandbookGerma
nResearch6.asp
Chapter 7 Analyzing Surnames and Place Names
German Surnames in America
Translative
Many Germans, upon immigrating to America, merely changed their names to
the English equivalent of the German. The following are examples of this:
Schwarz - Black Schneider - Taylor
Baer - Bear Becker - baker
Zimmerman - Carpenter Mohler - Miller
Scharff - Sharp Klein - Little
Of all the name changes, this was by far the least confusing. The only
real problem this may cause is that in tracing an ancestor that changed his
name this way, you may not realize that he was German and, therefore, not
look for him under the German equivalent of the name. Often, the only clues
would be the area in America where he was residing. If the family name
stops in a heavy German settlement area, then it is a strong indication
that he was German, and that you will need to change the name to the German
equivalent in order to continue the search for the family in Germany.
NOTE: More details continue on this page on how German names ... May have
been Translative, Anglicization of Names, or given a Total Change.
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Barbara L. de Mare, Esq.
Historian, genealogist and attorney
155 Polifly Road
Hackensack, New Jersey 07601
(201) 567-9440 office
BarbaradeMare(a)yahoo.com (home)
http://historygenealogyesq.blogspot.com/
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