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Author: mitchumz
Surnames: Zimmerman/Simmerman
Classification: queries
Message Board URL:
http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.zimmerman/1223.36/mb.ashx
Message Board Post:
If you haven't gotten a response on this yet here's my explanation. There are a
few things that could have happened. One is that the fact that many immigrants didn't
write all that well that the 'Z' turned into and 'S'. Also, it could have
been as you had asked, such Zimmerman's may not have been so "popular" to
say in modern times, that when they came to America they simply adjusted the spelling of
their last name for a 'new begining' so to speak. I've found many documents
on other branches of my family where the spelling has changed slightly. Most of which
came around the end of the 1700's to the early 1800's. Most of the time it is due
to the pronunciation of the name by others and the lack of education toward the english
language. It's actually facinating to track but the farther back you go the more
difficult it can be. I hope this was of assistance.
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