Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Five Funny, Strange, Interesting, or Unique Surnames in Your Family Tree

I have too many possibilities for tonight's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge from Randy Seaver.

Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision.

1.  We all have a plethora of surnames in our family trees — and some of them are funny, strange, interesting, or unique.  Please share five of your funny, strange, interesting, or unique surnames in your ancestry.  How are they related to you?

2.  Share your five surnames on your own blog, on Facebook or other social media, or in a comment on this blog.  Share the link to your stories on this blog, so readers can respond.

[Thank you to Linda Stufflebean for this SNGF prompt.]

I started out with about a dozen possibilities.  How did I narrow it down to five?  I managed somehow.

If I go for funny, I have:

Ida Bogus (1907–1978), who was married to Harry Herman Meckler.  Harry is my granduncle, the brother of my maternal grandfather.  I am in contact with extended family from the Bogus line.  Apparently that was the name in the old country.  Notwithstanding what the meaning of the name was there, here, in English, it's an amusing name to have.

I also have Mr. Byers (sorry, no given name or dates), who married my 6th cousin 1x removed Chris Eve Meeks.  I realize that is not amusing in and of itself, but the juxtaposition of Byers and Sellers certainly is.

For strange, I offer:

Berdelia Martha Elisa Abplanalp (1898–1967), who was married to Calvin William Hutson.  He is my 5th cousin 2x removed.  I know Abplanalp is a fine Swiss surname, but it's another one that English puts a different spin on.  When you say it, it kind of sounds like you're blubbering.

I have one name in my own family that I have found to be unique, at least in the form originally used by my family members.

Chanania Szocherman (no dates known), who married my 2nd cousin 3x removed (I think) Rojzla Perlmutter (about 1885–about 1941).  With that spelling, which is how it occurs in European records, I have found it only for my family members, and no one else.  Of the seven children I know of from this marriage, four died without issue, one daughter changed her name when she married, one son kept the spelling Szocherman, and one changed it to Socherman, which is also unique to this family, as far as I know.

Unique in a different way:

Margarita Artabotavsky, the mother of my 4th cousin's ex-husband.  When I Google this name, I get absolutely zero results.  So it must be spelled wrong, but that's the spelling my cousin gave me.  This name should eventually resolve when I learn the correct spelling.

Not in my family, but two other unique surnames I have researched:

Leo Martin McStroul (about 1881–1943), paternal grandfather of my aunt Mary McStroul.  His original name was Moska Leib Strul.  When he became an American citizen, he wrote a letter asking that his name be changed to Leo Martin McStroul.  Family members have told me that he didn't want a name that sounded Jewish.  So he made up the name McStroul.  If I find that name, I know it's my aunt's family.  I might be behind on a kid or two, but I know of only 21 people who have had that surname.

George Gudapel (1871–1950), maternal grandfather of Kathleen Joseph, with whom I used to work.  George's original surname was Gutapfel.  That name comes from three small villages in Alsace-Lorraine.  Most immigrants to this country tended to change the spelling to Goodapple, which is the literal translation of the German.  George changed it to Gudapel.  He married and had two daughters.  Four people in the history of the world have had that name with that spelling.

The Much-sought-after Jan Peerce Connection to My Family!

Five years ago, I wrote about my maternal grandparents' wedding for a Wedding Wednesday post.  One piece of information I included in my story was my grandmother's comment many years later that the famous Metropolitan Opera tenor Jan Peerce had sung at her wedding (even though she couldn't remember what he sang, but remembered what the cantor's son sang).

Bubbie (Yiddish for grandmother, and what we always called her) said at the time that she thought the reason Peerce sang for the wedding was some connection to my grandfather's brother's wife, Ida Bogus.  Her family was involved in catering, and she was somehow connected to Peerce by family, and that's all Bubbie could remember.  She was married in 1939, so for 60 years later, that's actually remembering a lot.

After being told this, I did quite a bit of research on Peerce's family, including buying a copy of his autobiography and mining it for family history details, trying to find some connection to my family.  I have Perlmans in my family, whose original family name was Perlmutter, which is close to Perelmuth, Peerce's original family name, so that seemed the logical place for the link, even though Bubbie had said it was through Ida.  I didn't find a connection with my Perlmans/Perelmutters or with Ida, however, so I was stuck.

Then, a couple of years ago, I saw someone on one of my genealogy mailing lists with the last name Bogus.  I decided to write because I don't see the name come up often.  I explained my story, and lo and behold, she knew the answer!

The research I had done on Ida Bogus had shown that her parents were Abraham Bogus and Minnie Posner.  My new genealogy friend told me that Minnie's sister Anna married Louis Perelmuth, and they had a catering business.  And Louis and Anna were the parents of Jan Peerce!  So my granduncle's mother-in-law was the sister of Peerce's mother.  That's extended family, all right, but apparently close enough, because I believed my grandmother when she said that Jan Peerce sang at her wedding.  And after looking up more information about Peerce, he was not yet famous in 1939, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that he would sing at the wedding.

So thank you, Felice!  I was able to resolve one of my longstanding (about 25 years) genealogy questions!

But I still want to find out one day if the wedding was covered in a Yiddish newspaper that mentioned that Peerce sang.

Events in My Family Tree: July 10

Hey, another kid born on her parent's birthday!  I wonder how common that is among the general population.

Births

Samuel M. Gaunt, son of John Gaunt and Elizabeth Kirby, was born July 10, 1817 in New Jersey.  He is my 3rd cousin 4x removed via the Gaunts.

Caroline Gaunt, daughter of Samuel M. Gaunt and Caroline Horner, was born July 10, 1863 in Mullica Hill, Gloucester County, New Jersey on her father's 46th birthday (above).  She is my 4th cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

Frederick Dunstan, son of Frederick Cleworth Dunstan and Martha Winn, was born July 10, 1868 in Manchester, Lancashire, England.  He is my great-granduncle.

Sadie Gussie Bogus, daughter of Abraham Bogus and Minnie Posner, was born July 10, 1906, probably in Manhattan, New York County, New York.  She was the sister of Ida Bogus, who was the first wife of Harry Herman Meckler, son of Morris Meckler and Minnie Zelda Nowicki, who is my granduncle.  The Boguses are supposed to be related to Jan Peerce, who sang at my maternal grandmother's wedding.

Rhoda Cohen, daughter of Louis Cohen and Jennie Kardish, was born July 10, 1945 in Montreal, Québec, Canada.  She is my 2nd cousin once removed on my Gorodetsky line through the Kardishes.

William Paul Dodge, son of Walter Garland Dodge and Lois Elizabeth Higgins, was born July 10, 1947 in Yuba County, California.  He is my 6th cousin on my Gauntt line through the Higginses.

Kevin Brian Gaunt, son of Harvey Joseph Gaunt, Jr. and his first wife, was born July 10, 1951 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.  He is my 3rd cousin via the Gaunts.

Matthew William Stricker was born July 10, 1985.  He is my 5th cousin 2x removed.

Benjamin Ian Monat was born July 10, 1990.  He is my 3rd cousin.

Marriage

Albert Lynn Lore, son of Frank Everett Eckman and Dorothy Mae Sellers, and Beth Fawn Goldwyn were married July 10, 1992 in Orlando, Orange County, Florida.  Al is my half 1st cousin via the Sellerses.

Deaths

Sarah Ann Harris died July 10, 1871, probably in Columbiana County, Ohio, at the age of 29.  She was the wife of Ner Gaunt, son of Benjamin Gaunt and Mary Sheets, who is my 2nd cousin 4x removed via the Gaunts.

Mary M. Walker died July 10, 1950 in Camden, Camden County, New Jersey at the age of 85.  She was the wife of John Gaunt, Jr., son of John Gaunt and Ellen R. Bannon, who is my 3rd cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

Rufus Barker, son of Walter Barker and Carrie Bell Crawford, died July 10,  1966 at the age of 33.  He is the 1st cousin 2x removed of my not-quite-cousin Angela Williams on her Crawford line.

Lillie L. Fuller. daughter of Joseph R. Fuller and Sarah R. Weaver, died July 10, 1970 in Lakewood, Los Angeles County, California at the age of 78.  She is the grandaunt of my aunt Mary McStroul.

Glenna Hazel Cage, daughter of James W. Cage and Mary Rosella Hutson, died July 10, 1981 in Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana at the age of 85.  She is my 5th cousin 2x removed on my Gauntt line through the Hutsons.

Esther Emily Wright, daughter of George B. McClellan Wright and Pearl Ellen Slentz, died July 10, 1983 in Grosse Pointe, Wayne County, Michigan at the age of 68.  She is my 5th cousin once removed on my Gauntt line through the Slentzes.

Events in My Family Tree: June 21

I will go out a bit on my family tree, as shown by the explanation accompanying the death of Abraham Bogus.  If anyone can help me research the Bogus family and/or the connection to Jan Peerce, I would appreciate it!

Births

Georgiana Gaunt, daughter of Hananiah Selah Gaunt and Margaret S. Scott, was born June 21, 1877 in New Jersey, possibly in Burlington County.  She is my 1st cousin 3x removed via the Gaunts.

John Henry Talbot was born June 21, 1937.  He was the first husband of Jean McStroul, the sister of my aunt Mary McStroul.

David Alan Youssiem was born June 21, 1957 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  He was/is the husband of Shelley Robin Garfield, who is my 4th cousin.

Rhonda Fay Minuk, daughter of Julius Minuk and Esther Golub, was born June 21, 1958 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  She is my 4th cousin on my Meckler line through the Golubs.

Seth Hartley Feller was born June 21, 1969.  He is my 3rd cousin.

Haley Renee Meckler was born June 21, 2005.  She is my 1st cousin once removed.

Marriages

Russell Simcox and Eleanor Malinda Eckman, daughter of John Eckman and Martha Johnson Atkinson, were married June 21, 1919 in Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey.  Eleanor is the grandaunt of my 1st cousin Al Lore.

Paul B. Lavin, son of Bernard J. Lavin and Mary E. Gaynor, and Mary E. Murray were married June 21, 1957 in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey.  Paul is the half 1st cousin once removed of my half-sister Laura Sellers.

Douglas Charles Bowen, son of Robert Francis Bowen and jean Drake, and Paula Donelle Harman were married June 21, 1980 in San Diego, San Diego County, California.  Douglas is the 1st cousin of my half-sister Laura Sellers.

Dean Roger Allen, son of Clarence Allen, Jr. and Grace Stagnato, and Joanne Fazio also were married June 21, 1980.  Dean is my 5th cousin once removed on my Gauntt line through the Allens.

Nora Walsh, daughter of Donald Walsh and Charlotte Perlman, and Brian Mendes were married June 21, 1987 in Rye, Westchester County, New York.  Nora is my 4th cousin on my Nowicki line through the Perlmans.

Andrew Eugene Meckler and Carla Maria Martinez were married June 21, 1997 in Santa Clara, Santa Clara County, California.  Andy is my 1st cousin.

Joel Richard Kent III and Caroline Louise Speir Thomson were married June 21, 2003 in Negril, Jamaica.  Joel is my (half) nephew.

Deaths

Abraham Bogus died June 21, 1922 in Manhattan, New York County, New York at the age of about 42.  He was the father of Ida Bogus, who was married to Harry Herman Meckler, who was my maternal grandfather's brother and my granduncle.  Ida is supposed to have been a cousin of Jan Peerce, which could explain why Peerce sang at my maternal grandparents' wedding, and I'm still working on making that connection.

Hazel Pauline Gauntt, daughter of Henry H. Gaunt and Sarah Allison, died June 21, 1968 in Alexandria City, Virginia at the age of 64.  She is my 2nd cousin 2x removed on my Gauntt line.