I have 2 Visbek Church Book records in question:
For the marriage of my ancestors it gives:
Johan Alerd Ahlers genannt Tonnies and Maria Gertrud Tonnies. What does this mean regarding last names? Was Johan Alerd born Johan Alerd Tonnies? Was he born Johan Alerd Ahlers, but took his wife's surname after marriage? Their decendent is a Tonnies.
I also have the case where it says:
Johann Heinrich Suing g____ Dietmann and Maria Elizabeth Suing, where their decendent was a Suing. Is this the same?
Yes, you are right. Johan was born Ahlers and took his wife's name Tonnies - he probably married into his wife's farm.
And then you have Johann Heinrich Suing *geboren* (née) Dietmann - same case. Just wondering what the male equivalent for 'maiden name' would be ??
So, just to be sure, when looking for the parents of Johan Alerd Ahlers genannt Tonnies, I would look for Ahlers as a last name for his father?
And when Johan Alerd Ahlers genannt Tonnies had a son, the first son would be a Tonnies (and inherit the farm)? Would the other children be Tonnies too? or Ahlers? or Ahlers genannt Tonnies?
Hi,
no, I am not related to them. I am from the (Lutheran) north of Oldenburg, Visbek is in the (catholic) south. I am also not so well informed about inheritance and naming rights in the south, but I guess Johan's parents would have been Ahlers.
Johan's (and his wife's) children would all be called Tonnies; probably hheir eldest son would get the farm.
I even remember from my area that the wife died later on, the husband remarried and his second wife received the farm's name - makes things a bit strange sometimes.
Hi,
this is yet another Ahlers branch, the one from the Ganderkesee area, not related to mine. The name Ahlers is quite common around here. Mine are from Ohmstede, near Oldenburg city.
Dag Barend,
yep, the Aschhausen Ahlers are yet another branch, and we are somehow even connected to them. Very distantly, though, a distant cousin of ours married one of their distant cousins, or so.
Annette, this might or might not help. One line of my ancestors comes
from near Wittlage, east of Osnabr�ck. In that region, the youngest
child, male or female, inherited the farm. Two of my g-g-grandfathers are
"Jobst Heinrich M�ller born Ohmann" and "Claus Heinrich Viening born
Eickhoff." They were born with one name, but when they married their
wives�who had inherited their farms�they took their wives' names. I know
the inheritance customs varied from place to place, but that's how it
worked in my case.
That's interesting Marilyn, as I hadn't heard about this practice other than
discovering that my g-g-grandfather was Pulsfort by birth but took the name
Grote when he married, probably because of his wife having the farm.
So its the youngest kid who got the farm, regardless of gender? I'd always
thought it was the oldest son, and had assumed in my case that maybe my
g-g-grandmother didn't have any brothers to take the farm.
Heiko already answered your questions. Just in case you ever happen to find a Luesse (L�sse) surname in your family tree, please let me know. My L�sse ancestors origin from Visbek / Astrup area.
It was the youngest kid around Wittlage, where that batch of my ancestors
came from. But that practice was far from universal. In other places, it
was the oldest who got the farm. Also, I don't know how long that
practice lasted around Wittlage.
On the matter of farms and names�in a neighboring community, a farm home
built by my g-g-g-grandfather is still standing. The man who bought it
and moved into it a few decades ago took my ancestors'surname, though he
was no relation. That was well into the 20th century.