52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Week 26 Prompt - Middle

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 26

Prompt – Middle

Middle names!  Most of us knew we should run for our lives when a parent yelled out our first, second and last name in one breath.  It was never good. 

My father had no middle name; he was Jacob Peters.   As I worked on my Mennonite family tree I soon saw a pattern emerge in their names.  The men and sometimes the women would all have the same initial as a middle name.  I have not found a specific legal document that includes the middle initial of the Mennonites. The middle initial is usually the first letter of their mother's maiden name.  It was an easy way of distinguishing which person we were actually talking about.  The given names were often those of their fathers in the case of the first born son or uncles in subsequent boys.   It was pretty easy to see how a common name such as Jacob Peters needed some identifier. In this example it does not show a "D" next to his name.

The Initial "D" for Dueck as Middle Name for  Peters Family

Middle names were an invention added at the end of the middle ages.   Children were given a “baptism name” along with their given and last name.  Today it would be rare to see a newborn babe who did not have a middle name.   Middle names now are more of personal fancy.

Then there are those individuals who use their middle name as their primary name.  My mother's legal name was Lydia Vivian Peters.   She went by Vivian or Viv.  My sister, Mary Elizabeth Peters is known by her nickname Betty.   My sister's four children use their middle name as their primary name.  I could not tell you what their first names are – well I could if I went to my family tree.  I'm sure that they are plagued with name problems throughout their lives.  Which name do they use to fill out paperwork?   I suppose, the more official the paperwork, the more likely the real first name would be used.  However for the less official paperwork the middle name is probably used as their primary. This surely must cause some kind of identity crisis when receiving mail and bills.  How about when someone asks what their name is?  Then there is the whole passport / airline tickets and that the names do not match and you can't fly.  First day of school was where we usually found out that our school chums had a different name when called by a teacher in roll call.

Using the middle name as your first name has put me off track in many of my genealogy quests.  But similarly, unusual middle name has helped me figure out if the hint I am focusing on could be for the person I am working on.   For example my maternal grandfather, my notorious brick wall, my bigamist grandfather has the most unusual middle name – Windsworth or Wentworth.

Bill's maternal 2nd Great Grandfather was known to the family as August Bachmann.  I believe his real name given him in Germany where he was born was actually Friedrich Wilhelm August Bachmann.  As of yet I have not found any legal documents where August Bachmann listed this full name. More than likely after he immigrated, he dropped all of the first names. 

Bill's Maternal 2nd Great Grandfather; Friedrich Wilhelm August Bachmann

Now this Bachmann Family takes first and middle names to a whole new level!

August Bachmann's Parents

The firstborn son is Heinrich Friedrich Wilhelm Theodor Bachmann after his father.  The next two boys who died in childhood has some combination of their father's name.  The last 3 boys have Heinrich dropped from their first names but continue with Friedrich Wilhelm Carl or Emil or August which are the names that they go by. 

 I am not sure that all the names make it an easy identifier.

Middle names can be good, bad or just indifferent to a genealogist searching for the right ancestor.  I never discount them.

Wendy