Puss, a nickname or a surname?

foxkellar

Is Puss used as a nickname in German?

Eliza Puss shows up as a creditor to her father Everhard Wensel in his 1847 Centre, County, Pennsylvania, probate file. I have scoured Centre County and other records, looking for a potential Puss (Poos, Buss, etc.) husband, but unsuccessfully.

It seems odd that the recorder would use a nickname in such an important document. His spelling is generally careful.

Eliza Puss from estate doc.jpg

Thanks for ideas.

Judy Fox

Ulrich Neitzel

@foxkellar

Ancestry has about 6000 document matches when searching for surname = "Puss" and country = "Germany" (including spellings like "Puß" or "Püss")

JohnsonGreg

Here is an Elisabeth Buss, age 33 (apparent wife of Daniel Buss) in Cumberland County Pa. 1850 census. Cumberland county a bit south of Centre county.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-63YW-DFC?i=13&cc=1401638&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AM4HW-L6K

foxkellar

@Ulrich Neitzel

Thanks for the suggestion. Eliza, then single, immigrated to the US with her Wensel birth family in 1833, so I expect to find her in the US if she married a Puss/Püss/etc.

foxkellar

@JohnsonGreg

Eliza was married to Gottlieb Keller by January 1847. I haven’t looked at Cumberland Co. That is a great place to look for a potential husband who died young. Thanks!