When you encounter a new ancestral name, always consider spelling variations for that first and last name combination. Determining how the name was likely pronounced can help, especially if it has a linguistic heritage with which you are not familiar. My search for Baltser Heeren was complicated by variations on both the first and last names. The last name could have been pronounced in several ways resulting in spellings of Herren, Hearn, Hirn, Horn..basically anything starting with an “H” containing and “r” and ending in a “n” with varying vowels and numbers of “r”s thrown into the mix. Baltser is a different story entirely.
It’s also important to consider spelling and pronunciation variants on names with which we are familiar. That’s when it can be even easier to overlook a spelling.
No responses yet