Hi Eve, thankyou very much for your message. You have given me food for thought in what you say. I had not considered George Frederick being German, Swiss of Alsatian. I have had the family tale that there was someone French in the family all the time, this tale comes from more than one family member. So far George Fred Michshel/l is the only person born Foreign that has appeared in my research of my husband's family. All of the baptism entries for the Michshel children that I have found to date show their father as a modeller in Plaster or as a Plasterer. George's death certificate shows him to have been a plasterer. To have named his son Napoleon must surely point to George Frederick being a supporter of Napoleon Bonaparte during the revolution in France. Whether of not he was a soldier in the French army during the Napoleonic wars, he must have been a supporter. Hermesfred, or Hemasfred, either spelling of the name is how the name is spelt for this girl in the baptism register, censuses and on her marriage entry in the register, she signed her name herself and did not make her mark in the marriage register, though her signature is not very clear it does look like Hermesfred/Hermasfred, there is definitely a small letter "f" in the middle of the name, it is the Es/As part that is never clear in the written name. Once married she is shown in the 1891 census by the initial H F, perhaps the enumerator could only read these two letters of the name or the filler in of the schedule couldn't spell her full name, the rest of the family are shown by their full names. It is a very odd name, I know, and I have been puzzling about it for the past 10-15 years. I shall go on puzzling about Hermesfred for ever more. Regards Jenny DeAngelis <<George Frederick doesn't sound French (even adapted French).If from Georg Friedrich (like Handel) could be German or Swiss. The Michsel might be a warped Michelle, Mischel. Hermes fred for a female??? Could this be a misreading of Hermentrud (usually anglicised as Ermentrude. Again, this points to a possible German or Swiss origin, or maybe Alsatian. Origins as diverse as formerly in the German legion (ex Hanoverian estates), or a French waiter? You should get an occupation for any baptisms 1813 onwards. , >>

On 29/12/2014 18:05, Jenny De Angelis via wrote: > I had not considered George Frederick being German, Swiss of > Alsatian. I have had the family tale that there was someone French in the > family all the time, this tale comes from more than one family member. So > far George Fred Michshel/l is the only person born Foreign that has appeared > in my research of my husband's family. Try Alsace first then. It's on the French/German border. It would fit with both your family story and with Eve's suggestion. -- Connie http://oursalmons.wordpress.com/