To interested descendants of Joseph Woolsey and Abigail Schaeffer: What is in a name? What form of a name should we use? Consider this: Some months ago, I was carefully searching Kentucky County records. In Mercer County, Kentucky, MARRIAGES I had to search these records page by page as they were not indexed and I felt I could find some family data there. Mercer County, Kentucky "Marriages, Bonds, Licenses & Loose Papers" FHL film# 191843 - 1808" not paged, not indexed. A page by page search. "Know all men by these presents that we Jonathan Shepherd & Joseph Woolsey are held and firmly bound unto his excellency Christopher Greenup Esqr Gouvenor of Kentucky in the several sum of fifty pounds current money to the payment of which well and truly to be made to the said Governor and his successors we bind ourselves our heirs Etc. jointly and severally firmly by these presents sealed with our seals and dated this 22nd day of April 1808. The Condition of the above obligation is such that whereas there is a license a loud [allowed] to issue for a marriage intended to be when made between the within bound Jonathan Shepherd & Nancy Parker, widow and Relict of John Parker, deceased, truly there is no lawful reason to obstruct the said marriage then the above obligation to be void else to remain in full force and value. his Jonathan + Shepherd SEAL mark his Joseph + Woolsey mark SEAL Teste: D. G. Conner [?] We have found very little reference to JOSEPH WOOLSEY, our ancestor, and this is an interesting document. It places Joseph Woolsey and Jonathan Shepherd in Mercer County, Kentucky, in 1808. Now remember, Joseph Woolsey married Abigail Schaeffer [the old accepted German way of spelling the name]. Abigail herself spelled it that way, and also other ways. My question is "What does the name Schaeffer refer to in German?" In other words, what is the English equivalent to the German Schaeffer? The English equivalent is SHEPHERD! And here we have a brother of Abigail Schaeffer, Jonathan Shepherd, making a marriage bond with his brother-in-law, Joseph Woolsey. We can also see that neither Jonathan nor Joseph could sign their names, which partially accounts for the scarcity of records. They probably could not read nor write. I have found other siblings of Abigail Schaeffer, and they agree with a family record she made of her brothers and sisters and their spouses. So, What is in a name? That is up to each one of us individually to answer. It is what keeps me searching. Sincerely, Wilford W. Whitaker