tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post8411734291285490877..comments2024-03-26T12:01:39.690-07:00Comments on A Family Tapestry: The New NeighborsJacqi Stevenshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-22474397396862064122015-04-29T23:59:13.867-07:002015-04-29T23:59:13.867-07:00I've seen some paperwork (for other family mem...I've seen some paperwork (for other family members who were immigrants) that included documented name changes, but in this case, if the change was done legally, I've yet to find the evidence!Jacqi Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-20480519706480386302015-04-28T20:37:41.873-07:002015-04-28T20:37:41.873-07:00Confusing for sure...I wonder how easy it was to c...Confusing for sure...I wonder how easy it was to change your name back then. Hope you find out the why someday:) Far Side of Fiftyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07995757632158408442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-76207666939663862822015-04-28T20:35:25.979-07:002015-04-28T20:35:25.979-07:00Good point, Patrick. That seems to be the consensu...Good point, Patrick. That seems to be the consensus of those who've weighed in on this topic--go to the city directories. I know it's worked out well for you--and I have friends who have said the same.Jacqi Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-7285898319796397352015-04-28T20:17:44.613-07:002015-04-28T20:17:44.613-07:00That's just the thing, Iggy: can you imagine c...That's just the thing, Iggy: can you imagine changing your name informally--and then forgetting what name you decided to adopt for yourself? It's not like you can say, "Just a minute, let me look that up," when someone asks you for your name. That's a scene that doesn't play well.Jacqi Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-77754444902043335042015-04-28T20:14:52.420-07:002015-04-28T20:14:52.420-07:00Sometimes, Wendy, I wonder about that running from...Sometimes, Wendy, I wonder about that running from crime scenario, myself. Apparently, at that time, the Irish--at least in New York--were finding themselves in better favor than the Polish...but that may not be the entire story. I certainly have much more to find out about this puzzle.Jacqi Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03471698670217119444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-2007742774496483692015-04-28T13:00:05.424-07:002015-04-28T13:00:05.424-07:00Have you started digging into the City Directories...Have you started digging into the City Directories for Brooklyn and Queens using John McCann, the address where they appear in 1905, 1910, 1920? This was quite revealing in my own search on my great-grandfather's years in New Orleans, I would think that might uncover some connections for you on your New York search.Patrick Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00017739832967378472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-72814522081390511222015-04-28T09:12:14.755-07:002015-04-28T09:12:14.755-07:00I find the John T. and the possible Theodore/Thoma...I find the John T. and the possible Theodore/Thomas J? T? to be interesting... Sherlock Holmes would be intrigued. Did Theodore/Thomas J (or is it T) change his name to John Theodore/Thomas? If the name change was "legal" there would be a court record of it (somewhere!) If he just changed his name - perhaps back in the day before SS and the IRS, this wasn't so hard to do?<br /><br />There was a very active intense anti-German wave prior to WWI - even if he was "Polish" - perhaps he was attacked for it.<br /><br />But Wendy is right too - the Irish weren't much loved either - I know my own grandmother passively "hid" her Irish roots.<br /><br />One's name IS one's identity.. much like one's job. Changing it isn't something done lightly... so I find this whole thing curious and baffling.Intense Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08441598926026727682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5034998384799920884.post-66114609329504633252015-04-28T08:34:16.094-07:002015-04-28T08:34:16.094-07:00One point does bother me: the choice of an Irish n...One point does bother me: the choice of an Irish name. Wasn't there a lot of bias against the Irish with that "Irish need not apply" attitude? Or was that in a different time? There were lots of Irish in Queens and Brooklyn, mine included, so maybe an Irish name was a good thing, I don't know. <br /><br />I have a story of someone changing their name to avoid punishment for some crime, but he made the change before marriage and family, not in midstream. Wendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17863357756727783017noreply@blogger.com