Learning More from the OSBs

I found an interesting naming pattern among the Ostfriesen people in the 1600s and early 1700s.  For instance, Gerd Jacobs Thaden was the son of Jacob Meints Thaden, who was the son of Meint Jacobs Thaden, who was the son of Jacob Ulfers.  At this point, the surname is not used.  So when surnames came in use, a child's middle name was always the first name of that child's father.  This was also true of daughters.  All of Meint Jacobs sons and daughters had the middle name of Meints.  Some of the names, when used as middle names will have an s added on at the end.  This is an indication of possession.  That is, Gerd was Jacob's son and Jacob was Meint's son, and so on.  If the father's name ended in an e, such as Folke or Thade, then an n was added to it when it became a child's middle name--Folken or Thaden.

The OSB took me only so far back in time, to the 1600s.  I suppose this must be about the time when the Lutheran church there in Dornum was organized.  So I suspect that Thade was the name of an ancestral father of Jacob Ulfers.  Perhaps Ulfer's name was Ulfer Thaden.  Then his father's first name would be Thade.  But at this point, we are getting back to people who probably didn't even keep records.

All of this sparks my curiosity in the history and culture of Ostriesland.  Where did these people come from, and how did they live?  What kinds of things did they eat and how was it prepared?  What natural resources did they use for their survival?  How did the ocean influence their lives?

Time to study now.

The Cornicello

                                                               

The cornicello is also known as the Devil's Horn and predates Christianity by thousands of years. These twisted red coral, gold, or silver amulets are often worn as necklaces to ward off curses like the Evil Eye.  The curse of the Evil Eye is cast upon a person when someone else has coveted one of their possessions.  Every culture in the Mediterranean seems to have some version of the Evil Eye and their own way to ward off the curses it causes.  

Picture from http://www.consiglioskitchenware.com/cornicello-italian-horn-charm-keychain-medium

Passport Application of Joe Romeo

This is the passport application of Joe Romeo.  After he served in the World War, he planned a trip to visit his parents in Belpasso.  He came back to America with a bride!

The Ortssippenbuch of Dornum

"The Ortssippenbuch (OSB) is a book of the compiled records from a parish and sometimes from other local sources that organize people and their events into family groups. Each family group is usually assigned a number within this book and that family number leads to other family numbers so that you can connect numerous family generations together. Dates are given for births/baptisms, marriages and deaths and burials. It lists all the children that are born in this village and also if parents have come from elsewhere as well as other useful information. You might even find a reference if your ancestor immigrated to another country."--https://familysearch.org/blog/en/ortssippenbuch-shortcut-german-family-history-research/.

Not every region in Germany has them. Many of the towns in the region of Ostfriesland have OSBs, local kinship books, and more are being added all the time.  We are very fortunate that the OSB for Dornum was published in 2012.  This two-volume set cost me a pretty penny, but it has been worth it.  

Brothers Herman and Bernard Thaden emigrated from Dornum to the US in the 1860s. In the OSB, I have found them listed with their siblings and parents. This OSB lists quite a few Thaden families going back several generations.  It is a goldmine of information.  Above is a picture of a typical page within an OSB.

Of course it is written in German, and I have to have the Google translator open while reading the entries.  The symbols are intriguing.  An asterisk (*) appears before a birth date like it's the day the child burst forth into the world.  A tilda (~) appears before a christening date.  It looks like baptismal water.  An infinity symbol (∞) appears before a marriage date.  That's kinda cool since some people belive in eternal marriage.  The Christian cross (†) appears before a death date.  That's logical.  And an open box symbol appears before a burial date.  It looks like a coffin.

I have learned that most christenings took place in the family residence with three or four witnesses.  Emergency christenings took place when a baby had but little time to live.  And the infant mortality rate was really high.   

I really love the OSBs.  They are a valuable genalogical tool.  

Meaning of the Surname Hahn

Hahn is a German word for rooster.  Back in the day, a long time ago, a man might have been nicknamed Hahn if he was conceited or cocky.  Or it may have become a surname if a man had a rooster painted on a shingle above his door because he may have become known as the man at the sign of the rooster.  So Ijust thought I would mention that little tidbit.  It is so fun to decorate my kitchen with roosters and to know that they represent my good name.

The Lower East Side Tenament Museum

I would love to visit this museum some day.  Concetto and Santa (Romeo) Pappalardo lived in a tenement like this in New York City after they arrived in America.  They later moved to Connecticut. Nicholas and Elizabeth (Yazigi) David stayed for a short time in a tenement here before moving on to Jacksonville, Florida.  It would be fascinating to get a glimpse into their lives by spending some time in this museum.

Movie Recommendation

I love this movie because it tells the story of our Sicilian family's immigration to America.  I discovered this movie after my research into the history of Italian immigration, and I found the story to match those things that I learned about Sicily, the voyage, and the immigration process through Ellis Island.  If you are interested at all in the story of Sicilian immigration to America in the early 1900s, you will love this story.  Giuseppe Romeo made the journey as a teenage young man.  Quite of few of his relatives also made the journey. He later went back to his homeland for his Italian bride, Carmela Motta.  Many of her relatives came to America as well.  These travelers left their small villages and made their way to the sea where they got on boats that took them to Naples.  From there, they boarded large steamers that took them to New York, where they passed by the Statue of Liberty and entered this country through the customs house at Ellis Island.  They immediately became part of the Little Italy enclave of Washington, D.C.  This movie will make you fall in love with your Italian forebears and make you proud of your Italian blood.