Need translation of 'Bertäuf.' and other abbreviations
I found an old address directory that was a match for my great-grandfather and grandmother. It described my grandmother's occupation as 'Bertäuf.', which is presumably an abbreviation of some sort. Try as I might looking through Germany Wicktionary and other sources, I can't figure out what that's short for or how how to translate it. Any ideas? And since I'm on the topic, what about the other abbreviations here "Bgm." and "o. B."?
Thanks for your help, as always!
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Hello @PeterWerner3,
If you have access to the entire directory, there's usually a section in the front which lists and explains the abbreviations used in the directory.
Look for a section in the front matter of the directory with title: Abkürzungen [= Abbreviations].
What you have identified as "Bertäuf." is actually: Verkäuf. = Verkäuferin = female sales clerk.
"o. B." could possibly mean: ohne Beruf = without occupation.
I don't have a suggestion for "Bgm." but I see it twice on the snippet you provided.
Hope this helps.
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Good catch on "Bertäuf." vs "Verkäuf."! The differences between 'B' vs 'V' and 'k' vs 't' can be very subtle in blackletter. Especially the version of it in this directory - most online glossaries of blackletter that I've looked at show 'V' rendered very differently. It's a difficult script, and I can see why German-speaking countries eventually abandoned it.
The source for this snippet is a directory for Wanne-Eickel, in the Ruhr. This site has a collection of early 20th Century directories for Herne and Wanne-Eickel and is an excellent resource if you're researching individuals from these areas: Stadtarchiv Herne :: Martin-Opitz-Bibliothek. Familysearch, Ancestry, etc don't seem to have those particular directories anywhere in their collections, so they're particularly valuable.
Since I posted this question, I've found a copy of the Duden "Wörterbuch der Abkürzungen". "o.B." can stand for a number of cases of "ohne B____", but the only one relevant to a profession is "ohne Beruf". "Bgm." also had me stumped, since the only explanation I was finding was "Burgermeister". But it's one of the most common abbreviations in that directory, and there can't be that many burgermeisters in one city! Duden indicates that it also stands for "Bergmeister", in other words, "mine foreman", which of course would have been a very common thing in the Ruhr until recent decades.
Thanks again for your help.
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You're welcome, Peter. And thanks for identifying "Bgm" as "Bergmeister". I thought the same at first that it might mean "Bürgermeister" but came to the same conclusion that you couldn't have that many mayors in one city.
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I would assume that Bgm. is the abbreviation of Bergmann which is the more common designation of a miner.
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Another possibility--food for thought--is the definition of BGM in Thode's German-English Genealogical Dictionary which says: BGM-abbr. for Bürgermeisteramt, mng. "Mayors Office
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