Janke/Jahnke spelling signifcance
When my great-grandfather immigrated from Prussia (near present-day Poznan) in 1869, his name was spelled "Jahnke" on his early records in the US (New York City immigration record, Declaration of Intent in Wisconsin, and on his first land purchase in Manitowoc County, WI in 1870).However, it appears that his name was spelled "Jahnke" only for the first year in the US.All subsequent records (after 1870), spell the name as "Janke" (church records, US Census, and death certificate). All his children and later generations have continued to spell their name "Janke."
I'm trying to figure out which of the two spellings is the actual name that my German ancestors used.
In the current online telephone book for Germany, it appears that both spellings co-exist in Germany. There are about the same number of listings for each spelling (about 4,000), so neither name seems to be more common than the other in present-day Germany.
I am looking for insight about this spelling issue.Is there a particular reason for the two spellings? Geographic variation? Religious affiliation? One derives from the other?
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Re: Janke/Jahnke spelling signifcance
Mary Eldridge 4/11/08