Re: General question relating to genealogy
NONE
Posted By: Sharyl Ferrall (email) In Response To: General question relating to genealogy (Mel McCarthy)
Date: 2/15/2008 at 15:54:28
Hi Mel,
In the territorial & early statehood days a person had to petition the legislature to change their name legally. Sometime after the 1870's the state legislature turned this process over to the circuit or local courts.Occasionally this information made its way into the newspapers - as in this 1881 news blurb:
"Up in Kossuth county, a few days ago, John Henry got mad at his wife, leveled a shot gun at her head, and declared he would kill her. She struck the barrel with her hand and the contents of the gun went over her head. She has applied to the courts for a change of name."... and this one from 1918:
"Attorney Frank Lingenfelder, his son, Frank M Lingenfelder and Walter Lingenfelder of Charles City have cast off all connections with their Teutonic origin and have had their names changed to Linnell. The Lingenfelders have been lawyers there for years."This 1891 newspaper note also comments on the process:
"Probably it is not generally known how a name can be really changed, except by a woman's by matrimony. A vague idea that it can be done by the act of legislature would be in most minds. In Appanoose county, Alderdt Arjine Wassenaer found his name a burden after carrying it thirty-three years and ascertained how to change it. He publishes in the Iowegian an order of court which is to be effective after four publications making it plain William Shepard. It is an article containing legal verbage, about as long as "original notices" describes his personal appearance, age, etc., and must give him much satisfaction, viewed in the light of a grand release."
I've added a link (below) to a newspaper article written in 1906 regarding Iowa law & legal name changes. It refers to the 30th General Assembly which met January - April 1904.
Sometimes, it seems that surname changes were 'just done' by either the individual or family without doing it legally. And many times what appears to be a spelling change, is not. Rather it is a error in transcription by the recorder, clerk, enumerator, etc. who wrote the name into a record.
(views: 979)Allamakee Queries maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
WebBBS 4.33 Genealogy Modification Package by WebJourneymen