The Mystery of the Two Surnames

Just before the holidays, I "met" a new cousin, Diane, who had sent me an email saying that she was researching her grandmother's family and had come across one of my trees on Ancestry.com. On my tree is my grand-uncle Gerhard Herman Demut (1921-2010). Gerhard was my Granddaddy's younger brother.

Diane went on to say that Gerhard and her grandmother were related, and was very fond of Gerhard,  but she wasn't sure of the full relationship between the families. Then she said that her grandmother's mother was Maria "Mary" (Muller/Mueller) Kroll and she had thought that Gerhard and my Granddaddy (Arthur) had been half-brothers.

Connecting with Diane brought my research back to my paternal side of the family. As far as I know and according to the documents I have, both Gerhard and Arthur had the same father, Theodore. Maybe the reason why Diane thought they were half-brothers is because Arthur's surname was Spedowfski and Gerhard's was Demut.

This is the mystery I am working on at the moment -- Theodore, his wife Martha, their 3 children and why there were two surnames. It appears that my Great-Grandfather also used the Demut surname at various times during his life, and his death certificate records his name as "Theodore Spedowfski aka Demut". Martha's death certificate records her as "Martha Ida Spedowfski" and underneath as "Martha Ida Demut".

Here are the names for Theodore on various documents I have found so far:

• "Theod Spidowski" on both the Hamburg departure passenger list (1) and the New York arrival passenger list (2). 
• "Theodore Spedowfsky" on indexed marriage record (3) to Martha Muller; his parents are listed as Herman Spedowfsky and Louise Demut.
• "Theodore Spedowpky" on birth certificate (4) for son Arthur Theodore Spedowpky. 
• "Theodore Spedowfski" on World War I Draft Registration Card (5).
• "Theo Demut", also wife Martha, in 1917 San Francisco City Directory (6).
• "Demut" surname for father on indexed death record (7) of daughter, Mildred Beatrice (Demut) Kirby.
• "Theo Demut", also wife Martha, in 1918 San Francisco City Directory (8).
• "Theo Spedowsky", also wife Martha, in 1919 San Francisco City Directory (9).
• "Theodore Spedwoffki" on 1920 US Federal Census Record (10), with wife Martha, son Theodore and daughter Mildred.
• "Demut" surname for son Gerhard on indexed birth record (11), U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Record (12), and indexed Social Security death record (13).
• "Theodore Spedowfski" on 1930 US Federal Census Record (14), with wife Martha, son Theodore, daughter Mildred, son Gerhard.
• "Theodore Spedowfski" on World War II Draft Registration Card (15).
• "Theodore Spedowfski", listed as spouse, on death certificate (16) for Martha Ida Spedowfski aka Martha Ida Demut.
• "Theodore Spedowfski aka Demut" on his death certificate (17).

It is very interesting to me that my great-grandfather used the "Spedowfsky/Spedowfski" surname on all Federal documents but apparently went by the "Demut" surname in city directories. I am also curious as to why his oldest child received the "Spedowfski" surname and his youngest two children were given the "Demut" surname.

I'm hoping additional research and joining forces with Diane will uncover the mystery of my great-grandfather and his two surnames.

~ Niecey



Footnotes:
(1) Ancestry.com > Hamburg Passenger Lists, 1850-1934 > 1890-1900 > Direct Volume 100, October 1, 1898 - 31 Dec 1898 > Image 47 > Line 10
(2) Ancestry.com > New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 > 1898 > October > 29 > Auguste Victoria > Image 10 > Line 2
(3) FamilySearch.org > California, County Marriages, 1850-1952 > Film Number 1405837 > Digital Folder Number > 4640217 > Image Number 00459 and 00460
     Marriage License #29674 > Photocopy privately held by author
(4) Birth Certificate of Arthur Theodore Spedowpky #5744, 21 Sept 1914, San Francisco, San Francisco County, California; photocopy privately held by author
(5) Ancestry.com > World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 > California > San Francisco > 3 > Image 925
(6) Fold3.com > All Titles > City Directories > California > Publication: City Directories-San Francisco > 1917 > Page 607 > Image #208427863
(7) Ancestry.com > California Death Index, 1940-1997 > Place: San Joaquin > Date 24 May 1994 > Mildred Beatrice Kirby (born 17 Jan 1918)
(8) Fold3.com > All Titles > City Directories > California > Publication: City Directories-San Francisco > 1918 > Page 527 > Image #194249571
(9) Fold3.com > All Titles > City Directories > California > Publication: City Directories-San Francisco > 1919 > Page 1532 > Image #202155377
(10) Ancestry.com > 1920 United States Federal Census Record > California > Alameda > Oakland > District 140 > Image 17 > Lines 17-20 
(11) Ancestry.com > California Birth Index, 1905-1995 > Birth County: Alameda > Birthdate: 30 Jun 1921 > Demut
(12) Ancestry.com > U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 (NARA)
(13) Ancestry.com > Social Security Death Index, Master File > Issue State: California > Issue Date: Before 1951 > Gerhard Herman Demut
(14) Ancestry.com > 1930 United States Federal Census Record > California > Alameda > Oakland > District 189 > Image 55 > Lines 14-18
(15) Ancestry.com > U.S. World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (NARA) > California > S > Palmer, Alfred Flock - Zwaal, Lolke > Image 464
(16) Death Certificate of Martha I. Spedowfski #6015-4890, 21 Aug 1962, Oakland, Alameda County, California; photocopy privately held by author
(17) Death Certificate of Theodore Spedowfski # 3900-1953, 6 Nov 1962, Stockton, San Joaquin County, California; photocopy privately held by author

Happy Birthday, Great Grandpa John

Today is the 127th anniversary of the birth of my great-grandfather John Sarantos SIMONDS. He was born 31 October 1884 in the Community of Evandros, Tripoli, Province of Arcadia, Greece.

On 22 March 1902, he departed Havre aboard the SS Le Bretagne under the name of Jean ANGELOTANASOPULOS. According to the original ship's manifest found on the Ellis Island website, John was age 18, single, could read and write, a farmer by occupation, and of Greek nationality. His last residence was Piree, the seaport for landing in the United States was New York, his final destination was Chicago, he had a ticket to reach his final destination, he bought his own passage, and was in possession of $10.00. John had not previously been to the United States, was going to join a cousin at S. Grand Str. 85, had not been in prison, was not a polygamist, was not under contract for labor, was in good physical and mental health, and was not deformed or crippled. He landed at the Port of New York on 1 April 1902.

On 24 January 1912, John married my great-grandmother Christina "Sophie" RAFAEL (also RAPHAEL) in Oakland, Alameda County, California. The marriage certificate lists his name as "John STAVROPULOS". His parents are listed as Samuel STAVROPULOS and Mary ANGELUS. John and Sophie had four children: Olga, Stanford (my grandfather), LaVerne and Ethel.

On 15 September 1936, John filed the Petition for Naturalization, No. 16182. On the Petition, he states that his name was Jean AGELOTANASOPULOS, he is a laborer residing at 548 E. 17th Street, Oakland, California, was born in Tripoli, Greece on 31 October 1884, and his race is Greek. He states that he has been continuously in the United States since 1 April 1902, and in the county of Alameda continuously since March 1905, and that he had not previously made a petition for naturalization.

John's petition for naturalization also requests that his name be changed to John Sarantos SIMONDS and was filed with the Superior Court of the State of California at Oakland. On 18 December 1936, John becomes a citizen of the United States receiving a Certificate of Citizenship No. 4189124. On his Certificate, John is described as being a white male, medium complexion, brown eyes, gray hair, 5'10" tall and 160 lbs.

On 5 May 1937, John filed an application for a social security number. He lists his parents as Sarantos AGELOTANASOPULOS and Nicoleta ANGELOPULOS.

On 26 April 1942, John filled out a Registration Card for the U.S. World War II Draft. He is still residing in Oakland, Alameda County, California and is employed at the Richmond Shipyard #1.

On 11 January 1969, John passed away at 11:57 AM from pulmonary edema due to heart disease. He had lung disease also.  His father is listed as John STAVROPOULOS; his mother is not known. John's last occupation was as a watchman at Standard Register for 10 years, but was retired. He died at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, Alameda County, California. John was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Oakland, Alameda County, California on 14 January 1969.

I never knew my great-grandfather; I was just about to turn a year old when he died. There are no pictures of him holding me as a baby because we were living in Germany where my dad was stationed. But as I continue to research his life I get to know him a little better, one document at a time. This is one of the reasons why I do genealogy... to get to know those ancestors that I wouldn't have known otherwise and to record their lives, our history, to pass on to our children. I want to preserve their stories before they are lost forever.

Happy Birthday, Great Grandpa John ~ May you be remembered for many more years to come.

~ Niecey

Who Do I Think I Am?

I am sure that my readers have heard about the show "Who Do You Think You Are?" aired on NBC on Friday evenings. I am a huge fan of the show myself and quite literally schedule my Friday nights around it. I enjoy watching the celebrities follow the clues to discovering who their ancestors were, the lives they lived, and where their families came from.

It seems quite natural, then, for me to begin this blog with who I think I am.

I am of Portuguese, German, Greek, English and Irish descent. My father is half-German (his father) and half-Portuguese (his mother). My mother is 1/4 Portuguese (her father's mother), 1/4 Greek (her father's father), 1/4 Irish (her mother's father), 1/8 German and 1/8 English (her mother's mother). All of my great-grandparents were full-blooded except for my maternal great-grandmother, who was 1/2 English and 1/2 German.

I am also a descendant from the Hawaiian Kingdom and Canada. I have a great-grandfather on my father's side and a great-grandmother on my mother's side who were both born in the Kingdom of Hawaii. (It's interesting to note that Hawaii was sovereign until 1893. The King was overthrown and Hawaii was an independent republic until 1898 when the United States annexed it as a territory. Hawaii achieved statehood in 1959.) My maternal grandmother, maternal great-grandmother, and my maternal 2nd great grandmother as well as my maternal grandfather were all born in Canada.

I know that I am a descendant of relatively recent immigrants. Three out of four great-grandparents on my father's side immigrated to America in the late 1800s or early 1900s, as did three of my great-grandparents on my mother's side. My mother's mother (Grandma) and her mother (Great Gram) didn't arrive until 1927.

Another thing I know is that almost my entire immediate family were all born in Oakland, California. My two younger sisters, my father, my mother, my paternal grandmother and her mother, and my maternal grandfather. My paternal grandfather (Grandaddy) was born in San Francisco and while it isn't Oakland, his birth place still qualifies as Bay Area. Except for me -- I was born on an Air Force base in Germany.

Who I know I am is this: a descendant daughter of men and women who came to America to achieve their dreams and to live their own lives. They believed in working hard, doing your best, being honest and maintaining their integrity. They loved God and family, lived their faith, and treated everyone with respect. I am proud to be the descendant daughter and to honor my ancestors by carrying on their traditions and teaching them to my children. This is who I know I am.

~ Niecey