Sue Plunkett wrote: > Hi Dieter - Today I received a copy of a New York City marriage certificate > dated 1869. > My ggreat uncle has his occupation listed as "fischbeinarbeiter". > Can you translate for me? Thank you. "Fischbein" is related to the English word "fishbone", it is some horny substance from the beard of a special whale - I don't know how to say in English. From this bone they made corsets. I think he worked in a corset manufactory. * Dieter

Dieter the Engllis language has some strange words and you work so hard with our crazy language but what a laugh you just gave to me as you did a typical combination German style with you new word"manufactory". It tells so well exactly what you meant! Sad to say we do not have such a word that I know of but I vote we take this one on! Helene Dieter Taube wrote: > > Sue Plunkett wrote: > > > Hi Dieter - Today I received a copy of a New York City marriage certificate > > dated 1869. > > My ggreat uncle has his occupation listed as "fischbeinarbeiter". > > Can you translate for me? Thank you. > > "Fischbein" is related to the English word "fishbone", it is some horny > substance from the beard of a special whale - I don't know how to say > in English. From this bone they made corsets. I think he worked in a corset manufactory. > > > * Dieter > > ==== GERMAN-KINGDOMS Mailing List ==== > Subscribers: > Can you spare $10 dollars to support Rootsweb? > http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html

I looked for the word "bein" and found "Bein" means "leg." Farther on in my Langenscheidt, it lists "Bein|arbeit" as meaning "footwork" as in boxing or "legwork" as in swimming. Could a fischbeinarbeiter have been "one who delivers fish?" On the English side, "bone" is translated as "Knochen." I have to admit that, in a dictionary by K. Wichmann published in 1938 by E. P. Dutton (Thrift Press), "Fischbein" is translated as "whalebone." Kind regards, Stan