SC - Names (OT)

[Bonne of Traquair]

<snip stories of Ellis Island officials changing immigrants names>

I have one of those tales as well, concerning a great grandfather and 
his brother who were named something long and German which the 
immigration official shortened to Abel.  I told this to another friend 
recently, who has researched his family name recently, and he told me 
that there are many of these tales but no documentation of it any name 
changes being made by the immigration officials.  Which isn't to say 
that the official didn't misspell names, esp. if the immigrant couldn't 
spell it to begin with.  But there isn't any documentation that the 
officials ever just changed a name. I want to research this myself one 
of these days.  We have proof of their names in Germany, and proof that 
by the next generation the other name was being used, but no paperwork 
on the change and I don't know what the immigration records show.  He 
pointed out to me that even if the immigration records do show a 
different name being used than I expect, it doesn't PROVE that the 
immigration official made the change, as opposed to the two immigrant 
brothers giving that name for whatever reason.  (Avoiding the draft 
might have been one reason, as they were leaving the Alsace-Lorraine 
region at about the same time and for the same reason as Huen's 
ancestor.)

Bonne
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