It was not uncommon for a person to “change” their name with no official record of the change. In some of these cases there may be a record providing evidence of the change. Feke Johnson used the name Fanny after immigration to the United States. She never naturalized and there’s no “official record” of the change.
But her marriage record indicates that her name was “Miss Fanny (alias Feke) Johnson.” A thorough reading of all records on the person of interest may locate an alias reference.
5 Responses
I’ll have to remember that the next time I can’t find someone.
This is very true!. My Irish ggrandmother and her three sisters and a brother were the children from the first marriage. In their late teens or so they all left for the US. They changed their names, dates of birth and birth years. Whether or not they actually knew their correct dates of birth is up for debate. Only when the Irish civil registration that started in 1864 was added to Ancestry, and I connected with the family of a descendant of the second family in Ireland, were we both able to put it all together. I am fortunate that the last name was Cuddihy which is not that common. Honoria became Nora, Margaret became Deal, Ellen became Nellie, and Mary became Molly.
I was happy to verify my grandfather’s “real” name that way through his WWI registration card, before that it was just conjecture and me trying to connect dots that the 6 week old Karl Julius baptized in Germany was positively the same Charles Louis who said he was born in America… “oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive…”
My great grandmother, changed my great grandfather’s name, when they got married, in the mid 1800’s. I have the marriage record and records of my great grandfather after the narriage, but nothing previous. My great grandmother would never tell what his name was and we don’t know if it was the last,first or both names that were changed. Any suggestions?
A few years ago I found a notice for the probate in an 1899 newspaper for a man names Sheridan Shook. He and his wife had had four children, who went with her when they divorced. She married again and in the probate notice I read the following from
New York New York Herald 6 May 1899 at http://fultonhistory.com
“SHERIDAN SHOOK’S WILL A SURPRISE
Provisions of the Instrument Filed for Probate Yesterday at Poughkeepsie
LIBERAL TO HIS CHILDREN
Bequests to His Two Sons and Two Daughters by His First Wife
LIFE INTEREST FOR WIDOW
Poughkeepsie, Friday – Surrogate Dorian has received for porbate the will of Sheridan Shook, who died at his home, in Red Hook, April 27.
Some surprise has been manifested here in that the will makes liberal provision for his children by his first wife, now Mrs. A. M. Palmer. It had been rumored that they would not receive marked recognition.
TO SONS AND DAUGHTERS
According to the provisions of the will which is dated May 2, 1894, slightly modified by a codicil dated March 9, 1896, the testator gives
$5,000 to his son Sheridan Shook, who now bears the name Morton Palmer;
$5,000; to his son Albert M. Shook, now Albert M Palmer;
$5,000 to his daughter Lydia Harriet Fiske and
$2,500 to his daughter Louisa Weed Hoffman, who benefits by other terms of the will also …”