This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: Germanna Surnames: BAST, BOST, KLEIN, CLINE, MOYER Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.bost/245.1.1.3/mb.ashx Message Board Post: The "Johannes", born 1719/1720, was NOT "Johannes". He was Johann Wilhelm BAST, b. 26 Feb 1720, Keldung, Rhineland-Palatinate, GER; d.bef 13 Sep 1777 (his will was probated on that date). It is unknown WHY he signed his name "Johannes". The German custom was that if a "Johan/Johann/Johannes" didn't have a middle name, his first name was "Johannes"; if he DID have a middle name, his first name was Johann or Johan. This one DID have a middle name, "Wilhelm" (William). He married Mary KLEIN (AKA Mary CLINE) abt 1738 in PA. One child resulted from this marriage: Johann Wilhelm "William" BAST, Jr.. Mary died abt 1739 in PA. Johann Wilhelm then married Susannah Catharina MOYER in Bucks Co., PA (now Northampton Co., PA), abt 1739. >From this union, 11 children were born. I have done genealogy research on German families for decades and it always annoys me that other researchers ignore "first" names, and, often, use the Anglicized form of the "middle" name, rather than the actual name a person was given at birth, e.g., using "William" when the actual birth name was "Wilhelm", or using "John" when the actual birth name was Johannes or Johann. We may find Anglicized name variants in official records, but I've always been an advocate of using the actual "birth name", regardless of how the English scribes wrote it down. It just ensures accuracy and consistency. Just as an aside, in Germany the "first" name was NEVER used, unless the person had no middle name, which was very rare. The "first" name was the name of a religious figure, usually a Saint; the "middle" name was the name that a person was actually known as, i.e., his/her "Calling Name". Regards, George W. Durman [email protected] Knoxville, TN Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.