In my Geman family, all the boys had the first name of Johan, and all the girls had the first name of Friederika.? They went by their MIDDLE names in everyday life.? It's my understanding that in was common practice amongst Germans of the 18th and 19th centuries to name all their children after a favorite saint.? Consequently I ended up with Johan Cristof, Johan Joseph, Johan Christian, etc. The "Johan's" were used (incombination with the middle name) on official documents. Unfortunately, on many American documents, only the first name was recorded. This might be what you are experiencing with your Wessolecks. Good luck with it!? It's enough to drive you absolutely mad! Julie Parks