Well, If there's Irish blood I'm not aware, though I've known him a number of years, I'd just heard that they were POLISH, & so haven't looked farther, but may ask next time I'm in touch with him. Thanks for the tidbit, it's always interesting in doing genealogy! My maiden name is Irish so it's so interesting that you say he may be Irish! That would be so cool! Cathy > [Original Message] > From: Thomas E. Lassek <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Date: 8/21/2004 11:37:31 PM > Subject: Re: [PITTSBURGH] OKRUTA > > "Thanks, for the info Tom. I also have a friend named Tom > O'Kruta from WVA/OH areas. Cathy Raber" > > - - - - - - - - - - > > Hello again Cathy ... > > It's interesting that the Polish surname Okruta has evolved into O'Kruta as you spell it. Unless you know the specific reason surrounding this evolution, as is obvious, there was probably an Irish connection somewhere "up the line". > > I've never seen this transformation, in this way, in the past, however, I can tell you that in all my research into the old records of Poland, and for that matter, even in the US, the first to settle in most area's were the Irish. There are sections of Poland where "colonists" were permitted to settle in the extreme early years. Over time, they became acculturated and assimilated, speaking the Polish language with the Irish surnames eventually overwhelmed by the Polish. Every once in awhile I would see an "Irish" surname listed, but this was the exception by far, never the rule. In this particular case, the Polish surname spelling has been retained with the seperation indicator between the letters "O" and "k" which is common enough in the Irish way. > > Very interesting. > > Tom Lassek > Eufaula Alabama > > > ==== PA-PITTSBURGH Mailing List ==== > If you need to contact the listowner, send an email to Sue* at: > [email protected] > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237

Kids, It may have been the person that recorded the name that put "'" behind the O. I had a friend Joe Opalka with no "'". I do believe that that is how many names change or, rather, become corrupted. Mac Cathy Raber wrote: > Well, If there's Irish blood I'm not aware, though I've known > him a number of years, I'd just heard that they were POLISH, & so haven't > looked farther, but may ask next time I'm in touch with him. Thanks for > the tidbit, it's always interesting in doing genealogy! > My maiden name is Irish so it's so interesting that you say > he may be Irish! That would be so cool! Cathy > > >>[Original Message] >>From: Thomas E. Lassek <[email protected]> >>To: <[email protected]> >>Date: 8/21/2004 11:37:31 PM >>Subject: Re: [PITTSBURGH] OKRUTA >> >>"Thanks, for the info Tom. I also have a friend named Tom >>O'Kruta from WVA/OH areas. Cathy Raber" >> >>- - - - - - - - - - >> >>Hello again Cathy ... >> >>It's interesting that the Polish surname Okruta has evolved into O'Kruta > > as you spell it. Unless you know the specific reason surrounding this > evolution, as is obvious, there was probably an Irish connection somewhere > "up the line". > >>I've never seen this transformation, in this way, in the past, however, I > > can tell you that in all my research into the old records of Poland, and > for that matter, even in the US, the first to settle in most area's were > the Irish. There are sections of Poland where "colonists" were permitted to > settle in the extreme early years. Over time, they became acculturated and > assimilated, speaking the Polish language with the Irish surnames > eventually overwhelmed by the Polish. Every once in awhile I would see an > "Irish" surname listed, but this was the exception by far, never the rule. > In this particular case, the Polish surname spelling has been retained with > the seperation indicator between the letters "O" and "k" which is common > enough in the Irish way. > >>Very interesting. >> >>Tom Lassek >>Eufaula Alabama >> >> >>==== PA-PITTSBURGH Mailing List ==== >>If you need to contact the listowner, send an email to Sue* at: >>[email protected] >> >>============================== >>Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration >>Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. >>http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > > > > > > ==== PA-PITTSBURGH Mailing List ==== > How to unsubscribe. Send a message to:[email protected] that contains ONLY the word, 'unsubscribe' in the text area. > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > >

"Kids, It may have been the person that recorded the name that put "'" behind the O. I had a friend Joe Opalka with no "'". I do believe that that is how many names change or, rather, become corrupted. Mac" - - - - - - - - - - Hello Mac ... Yes, that's true, and it's not over yet, in fact the surname variants may change as time progresses. O'Reilly today may be Orely 200 years from now for one reason or the other and I personally think that all the diacritical marks will continue to go away as well, as they have in the last 100 years when immigrants arrived in the US. All this surname business is based on phonetics. As our English dictionary changes, based on acceptable modifications to the English language, so eventually will the spelling of surnames change - by design or otherwise. For the most part, we as a people are over the "main hump" when immigrant illiteracy was the norm rather than the exception. I've seen various figures from the early years concerning immigrant illiteracy and I think it's fair to say that somewhere around 90% could neither read or write in their native language - couple that with spelling in the new world language (English) and it becomes a mess. Immigrants were concerned only with "getting here" - correct spelling of their surname was of little or no importance, and if they were asked to confirm their surname in writing, they'd undoubtedly look at the "entry" and nod their head in the affirmative. Mr. Szkiladz from Poland would swear up and down that the "Smith" entry just recorded by Mr. McDonald in the governments "arrival register" in New York was indeed his surname. Everyone concerned, now happy that "inprocessing" was finished, could go their seperate ways. Mr. Szkiladz could now board the train West towards his eventu! al homestead in the new country. Tom Lassek Eufaula Alabama

"Well, If there's Irish blood I'm not aware, though I've known him a number of years, I'd just heard that they were POLISH, & so haven't looked farther, but may ask next time I'm in touch with him. Thanks for the tidbit, it's always interesting in doing genealogy! My maiden name is Irish so it's so interesting that you say he may be Irish! That would be so cool! Cathy" - - - - - - - - - - Cathy ... Well, some way, some how, there's an Irish inflection present in some manner. If you eventually find the rationale behind this "event", I'd appreciate your putting the info up here so I can see it. The subject is intriguing. I have never seen such an "Irish-ing" of a Polish surname. A likely scenario may be equivalent to a surname spelling change that occured in my Family. The proper spelling of my surname is LASEK, however, in the late 1800's, a census enumerator visited the farm of my Great Grandfather, his wife, and at that time 9 children (14 eventually) in Duncan Nebraska. The enumerator told my GGfather that "here in America your surname should be spelled LASSEK, so as to blend in better". My GGfather thought he was nuts, but the idea stuck with my GGmother, and much to the chagrin of my GGfather, she made all the children spell the surname LASSEK, "so as to blend in" and "become more American". As such, LASSEK stuck and for legal reasons it eventually became binding and is still is use today. It wouldn't take much to note a similiarity of occurance if the enumerator were Irish and the Family was Okruta .... now O'Kruta. My Irish wife of 35 years tells me that I should count my blessings in having "married-up", hehehehehe. I remind her of course, of her now "social repositioning towards a higher rung of the ladder" ... which usually solicits a tongue-lashing in the Irish brogue .... heheheheheheh. Marrying her was the best thing that ever happened to me. Have you ever had Polish food cooked with an "Irish flare" ?? Makes your hair curl and your lips pucker ..... hehehehehhe. Tom Lassek Eufaula Alabama