This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Dayspring Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/topics.researchresources.lookups.lookups/2830/mb.ashx Message Board Post: There's one ancestor that's been eluding my family for a long time. We've never been able to find any immigration records (which would really help). His name is George Dayspring born Dec. abt 1841 in Koeningsburg, East Prussia. He came over to the USA somewhere around 1850. I don't know if he traveled with his family or if he came alone but he would've been about 9. I can't find any immigration records. He enlisted in the Union Feb. 22 1864 but I think the date might be wrong because according to the Bloodgood Genealogy Book he fought at Gettysburg and was in Libby Prison. He was enlisted in Company H, 54th Infantry Regiment Pennsylvania on 22 February 1864. This was a volunteer infantry. He doesn't show up in any records until 1875 when he married Hannah Bloodgood. She had been married before to John Reid and all of her children with him except Charles and Joseph. Here all of their children (well not George's real children)... Mary Dayspring 1861 James Dayspring 1865 Frances Dayspring 1867 George Dayspring 1871 Angie Dayspring 1873 John Dayspring 1875 Joseph Dayspring 1888 Charles Cosmas Dayspring 1880 George died on 19 Oct 1910 in Paterson, New Jersey, USA. The problem I'm having is my family believes he or his family changed their name when they came to the US. Dayspring definately is either Americanized or isn't his real surname. If any has experiance with German or European surnames that would help or they can find any records I cant. There are various Daysprings scattered in NJ, D.C. and NY. I really don't know how they're related. I thought a couple of them might have been George's siblings but I have no records.