Identifying Place Names in German documents: Difference between revisions

<br>Latin names for localities are found frequently in parish register entries. ''Villa nova ''(Latin); ''Villeneuve'' (French); and ''Neuhof'' (German), and Newtown or Newton (English) are names for the same place. . Latin or Greek place names are very common in University matriculation records. (see illustration). The Latin prepositions "ex" [from or out of] and "de" [from] often precede the Latin places names. Latinized place names when following a preposition commonly have these endings: -anus, -inus, and -ensis. Examples of Latin places names:<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Parthenopolis = Magdeburg<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Regiomont(i)um or "ex Regiomontanus" = Königsberg or "from Königsberg"<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Borussia = Prussia<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marchia = Mark Brandenburg<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gryphiberga = Greiffenberg, Schlesien, Prussia<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Guelferbytum or Wolfenbuttela = Wolfenbüttel, Braunschweig  

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Thomas Otto Achelis in "Die Bedeutung der Universitätsmatrikeln für den Familienforscher" [The importance of University Registers for the Family Researcher] states that students often gave the name of a larger, more well-known city as their place of origin instead of their native village or birthplace. Place names in Latin can be found on the internet at [http://www.columbia.edu/acis/ets/Graesse/contents.html Orbis Latinus online ]at: www.columbia.edu/acis/ets/Graesse/contents, html.  

Key to Locating Places Names<br>Often the first letter of a given spelling for a certain place name is incorrect, but many times other letters in the middle of the place name are also incorrect. Some place names may have additional letters at the end which should not be there, other place names may have letters missing that should be there. The researcher who is familiar with German place names may recognize the correct name of a misspelled town or village, but often it is very difficult and sometimes almost impossible to determine the correct spelling of a given place name. The examples below from actual research problems&nbsp;indicate how&nbsp;certain&nbsp;letters may have been used&nbsp;by the scribe and how they appear in modern gazetteers.&nbsp;

'''Letter A and E'''<br>'''Ai'''chberg, Württemberg found in gazetteer as '''Ei'''chberg  

'''B'''ermesens, Pfalz, Bavaria&nbsp;was the place name given in United States records.&nbsp; It was&nbsp;identified as&nbsp;'''P'''irmasens in German gazetteers.  

Calbine, Arswaldy, Brandenburg = Kölpin, Arnswalde, Brandenburg<br>

'''C'''yzow = '''Z'''üssow, Pommern<br>

==== Letters Ch and G ====

Ch G Bercheim = Bergen<br>

Na'''ch'''e = Na'''ck'''<br>Ck Ch <br>Cz Sch Caczlin (parish Zirke) Posen = Katschlin<br>D T Breedsen = Brietzen, Schlesien<br>E A Gutmedingen = Gutmadingen<br>E I Borodeeno, Bessarabia = Borodino, Bessarabia<br>Ei I <br>F V Alfertissen = Alverdissen<br>F Pf Rhinefalls = Rheinpfalz<br>F W <br>F Ph <br>G K Igen = Ecken, Schleswig-Holstein<br>H H (can be added or omitted) Hoen-Selchow = Hohenselchow, Pommern<br>I E Posin = Posen<br>I Ei Kris = Kreis [district]<br>I Y Baiern = Bayern<br>I J Gierrup = Gjerrup<br>J Y <br>J I <br>K C <br>K Ch Tükskov = Tüchschau, Schleswig-Holstein<br>K G Aklitten, East Prussia = Auglitten, Ostpreussen<br>Ks X Rocksheim = Roxheim, Pfalz<br>L N <br>M N <br>N M <br>O U Bookheim, Friberg = Buchheim, Freiburg, Baden<br>Ow Au Schwiesow = Schwiesau<br>P B <br>Ph F <br>p ss (deciphering ß as p) Prupia [Prußia]= Prussia or Hepe [Heße]= Hessen<br>Qu Kw <br>Qu Kv Quars - Kvaers [Danish]<br>R H <br>S Z Elsens = Elsenz, Pfalz<br>Sch Sz Borschymman, East Prussia = Borszymmen, Ostpreussen<br>Sch Ch <br>Sch S Schwanstrup = Svanstrup<br>Sch Cz <br>Sch G <br>Sh Sch Bamesh Leebow = Böhmisch Liebau<br>T D Alfertissen = Alverdissen<br>Ts Z <br>Tsch &amp; Tzsch Z <br>Tz Z <br>T Th Tedinghaused = Thedinghausen<br>U O Stulp = Stolp, Pommern<br>U V <br>V F <br>V U Faverby = Fauerbye, Schleswig-Holstein<br>V W Vestermølle = Westermühle, Schleswig-Holstein<br>W V <br>W M <br>X Z <br>X Chs Hexum = Hechtsheim<br>Y J <br>Y I Bylevelt = Bielefeld, Westfalen<br>Z C <br>Z S Zelnowo = Sellnowo<br>

Bibliography<br>1. Ferguson, Laraine K. "Census Records in Northern Germany, Pt. 1 Schleswig-Holstein" in German Genealogical Digest Vol. 6 No. 4 (Winter 1990).<br>2. Gardner, Duncan B. German Towns in Slovakia and Upper Hungary. A Genealogical Gazetteer. Lakewood, Ohio, 1988.<br>3. Gölzer, Bernd. "Fehler in der Familienforschung" in Saarländische Familienkunde, Vol. 9, pp. 96-107.<br>4. Heintz, A. "Verschollene Ortsnamen" in Mitteilungen des Historischen Vereins der Pfalz 5 (1875), pp. 49-122.<br>5. Jensen, Larry O. A Genealogical Handbook of German Research. Revised Edition. Pleasant Grove, Utah: 1978. [available online at: www.familysearch.org. Click search, then click Research helps, click G, arrow down to Germany, click on Genealogical Handbook of German Research.<br>6. Jensen, C. Russell Ph.D. Parish Register Latin: An Introduction. Vita Nova Books, 1988. <br>7. Jeschke, Gerhard. Place Names in German-Speaking Countries. Unpublished manuscript.<br>8. Kowallis, Gay P. and Elly Poulsen. The Danish Genealogical Helper. <br>9. Minert, Roger. Spelling Variations in German Names: Solving Family History Problems Through Applications of German and English Phonetics. Woods Cross, Utah, 2000.<br>10. Ortell, Gerald. A. Polish Parish Records of the Roman Catholic Church, Their Use and Understanding in Genealogical Research. Genun Publishers, 1989.<br>11. Schlyter, Daniel M. A Handbook of Czechoslovak Genealogical Research, Genun Publishers, 1990.<br>12. Shea, Jonathan D. Russian Language Documents from Russian Poland. A Translation Manual for Genealogists. Genun Publishers, 1989.  

French and equivalent German names for villages in Alsace (Moselle) can be found on the Internet: &lt;http://guillaume.roelly.org/entraide/villagesad.htm&gt;.<br>Kowallis, Gay P. The Danish Genealogical Helper, p. 3. <br>Jeske, p. 2.<br>Jeske, p. 2.<br>5 Reschke, Horst A. "Prussia Gazetteer, a vital tool in German research," in German Genealogical Digest.