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From: <>
Subject: Re: [ORMARION-L] To Dena, re: Eberhard
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1998 08:21:20 EST

Hi, Dena;
Saw your entry regarding Bernard G. Eberhard. I have no information
specifically on that person, but would like to offer a suggestion. I have
done research on many German ancestors for thirty years and have found one
thing in common. You can never be 100% sure of the first name.
Because of naming practices, there' s a thing called the "rufname" which is
the one the person used commonly. Then there's the name they were actually
given when christened or baptized and sometimes one or two in between.
In other words, your family history may indicate his name was "Bernard" or
"Bernard G." when church records (including some burials) use his original
name, which may have been Johann Bernard Gerhard, or even Gerhard Bernard.
You get the idea. I find it works better to verify the dates or
approximate ages of the persons buried where you think he might be, and then
check further into the record to see if there's a possibility he is actually
there, but the name is one you are not familiar with.
Good luck
Ann Bergelt
Florida

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