Good morning list, I sent the following to someone doing research on a compound surname & I thought it might be helpful to others who may encounter a similar problem: About the surname SCHUMACHER & the variant spellings: SCHUMAKER - SHOEMACHER - SHOEMAKER but does the surname MACHER come to mind? I read a story about a German Soldier in the Civil War, who got very upset with the incorrect spelling of his surname SCHUMACHER! After the war, he went west & married -- using the surname MACHER. After he died & his wife applied for his pension she was told that no one by the name of MACHER served in that regiment! Well, she just knew her husband was in the Civil War! Her husband's brother had come to visit them from back east, a few years ago & they had talked about the war. She remembered where her husband's family lived back east & traced them down -- only to find out her married name was SCHUMACHER -- not MACHER! Moral of the story, you really never know who you marry -- no, no, I'm getting off on the wrong track here. :) Be careful of compound surnames like KLEINSCHMIDT -- will KLEIN or SCHMIDT be used as the surname? Burr EASTWOOD? Now, if you have the given name Burr (which is also a surname) & you have the compound surname EASTWOOD the census takers could really have a field day with this name!!! Happy hunting, Helen (DCGS)