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.