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Ancestry/Genealogy

jwirr

(39,215 posts)

7. Not sure but I heard a great story from a friend. Her ancestor was coming in from Ireland and had

Reply to grasswire (Original post)

Sun Feb 3, 2013, 05:24 PM

Feb 2013

a criminal background. He wanted to change his name but had not thought it through. As he walked in the line at Ellis Island he looked up and saw a beer sign for Miller's. From that day he and his family went by the name Miller.

Same reason with a family in my tree. Went from Maas to Hinderson and then shortened it to Hinders.

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question: why would a surname totally change in the middle of a long line? [View all] grasswire Feb 2013 OP

I don't know all reaons, but slavery and immigration are two. nt ZombieHorde Feb 2013 #1

From what I know Hayabusa Feb 2013 #2

Hapsburg to Windsor. TheMadMonk Feb 2013 #3

yes, this all is interesting grasswire Feb 2013 #4

Ah, the other direction socioeconomically. TheMadMonk Feb 2013 #5

Look into historical tension of the era in which the name changes. sybylla Mar 2013 #12

Weird, isn't it... pipi_k Feb 2013 #6

Not sure but I heard a great story from a friend. Her ancestor was coming in from Ireland and had jwirr Feb 2013 #7

For one thing, spelling means nothing HeiressofBickworth Feb 2013 #8

Something like that happened pipi_k Feb 2013 #9

The adoption of the surname of a relative to get an inheritance, possibly Spider Jerusalem Feb 2013 #10

My first thought is that SheilaT Feb 2013 #11

It doesn't seem like the 1400's was a very nice century to be alive. PADemD Jul 2013 #13