John Blankenbaker's Germanna History Notes

Note 2448

*[Morgen soll es schneien.]

Late last year I was reporting on some of the findings from the Church Records in Neuenbuerg, Oberoewisheim, and Unteroewisheim.  Besides my personal interest in these villages, I wanted to see if I could find any mention of the man who became Christopher Barlow in Virginia.  There was a report on the Internet that he would be found in these villages or at least mentioned.  My search was unsuccessful.

The discussion here touched on Conrad Amberger, which led to Dr. Hermann Stierle in Boennigheim, who had written an article in Germany about Conrad Anberger.  I thought I would pose the question to Dr. Stierle as to what the name of Christoph Barlow might have been in Germany given some of the known surname variants here.  I report now his reply which I have slightly edited:

"I presume that most of the 1717 emigrants from Germany could neither read nor write.  So when they were asked what their name was, they pronounced it the way they were used to at home.  Of course, they would be unable to spell it in English.  Most Virginians were of British origin and when they had to write down the names of new immigrants they did so according to English phonetics."

[From a message on the GERMANNA_COLONIES Mailing List at Rootsweb, 25 Jan 07, written by Cary Anderson: "I presume that most of the 1717 emigrants from Germany could neither read nor write...." I have to take issue with that statement.  Most villages has schoolmaster at that time as the person appeared in the various church records.  Yes, even as early as 1717 and much earlier than that.

Just check Strassburger and Hinke's Signature Volume.  You will see that most were able to sign their names to the oath in Philadelphia.  Many who appear with a 'mark' were sick and unable to make it to the courthouse in Philadelphia.

Somewhere I have an article about when compulsory education first began in some part of Germany and how it spread, but can't lay my hands on it.  I know the year was before 1700.]

[From a message on the GERMANNA_COLONIES Mailing List at Rootsweb, 26 Jan 07, written by Thom Faircloth: I agree Cary.  In looking at the petition signed by the men of the German Lutheran Church nearly all of the men signed.  Only a few made their mark.  I am pleased to see Blind John Yeager's signature.  And especially pleased that he spelled it with an ea diphong.]

"Therefore we must try to find out what “Barlow” (which became and is today the result of what the secretaries or clerks of the 1717 time first heard) sounded like when it was heard pronounced by a German tongue and heard by an English ear.  When I pronounce the name “Barlow” as I hear and understand it, there is a long “a” as in “barn” or in “far”.  The last vowel is a long “o” as in “low” or “so”.  There is no problem with the “l”.  But there is problem with the “b” at the beginning.  As a linguist one should know that people in the southern parts of Germany are too lazy to give a correct pronunciation of a “p” which they very often, even today, pronounce as a b”.  Also, I have observed this fact in reading old texts in archives."  [We know that Plankenbuehler from Austria became Blankenbuehler along the Rhine River ­John]..

I can’t think of any native German name ending only in “o” without a consonant.  Some kind of consonant must have been at the end of the name when it was first heard, one that was not very outstanding and therefore easily dropped or forgotten.  In your letter [John to Dr. Stierle] you mentioned the following spelling as you found them in [Virginia] German church records or in the civil records: Barler, Berler, Perler, Perley, Perlor, or Parlur.” [to be continued]

*[Tomorrow it is supposed to snow.]
(24 Jan 07)