Surname Question
I am researching in Legden in Westfalen during the late 1700's. I have an ancestor whose last name was Rohling at the time his marriage. In his children's birth records and in his death record, his surname becomes Blömer. Depending upon which record I am looking at, it might say "Rohling nunc Blömer" or in his death record, "Blömer natus Rohling". I have seen in the past that the surname might change to the wife's surname if her father did not have a son to inherit the farm. Unfortunately, in this time period, the records do not tell me if this couple was single or widowed, and in this case, the new surname does not match his wife's maiden name. Was it typical for the male to change his surname to the name of the farm that they lived on? In this particular town, Legden, I have seen the surname occasionally change due to marriage and the father-in-law not having a son to take over the farm. Is it common to change the surname to the name of the farm they lived on or are there any other reasons that the surname would change?
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Hello @Becky Bradshaw,
Please see the following links:
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~ehrhard/genealogy/Farm%20Names.htm
https://www.legacytree.com/blog/farm-names-family-history (see the section on "German Farm Names").
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@Robert Seal_1 Thank you, Robert! I had found the second document, but not the other two documents. So, after reading these documents, I am trying to process the information. So, in this case, where the surname change does not match his wife's surname, it is most likely that my Henrich took Blömer as a surname because he lived in a farm with that name?
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Yes, that's likely the situation for Henrich.
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@Robert Seal_1 Thank you for your help!
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You're welcome, Becky.
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