Decendants of Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Stelzriede
Comments and Notes on the Family Tree
German names -
In some cases constructing the family tree was made difficult by the common use of the same names for two or three generations in a row. Names were repeated, not only within a family, but sometimes occurred in the same generation in two different families. For example, there were at least 4 different Christian Friedrich Stelzriedes born into 3 different families within 2 generations. But only one of these four sons (my great grandfather) survived to adulthood. Note also the change from German to English: Friedrich = Frederick, Carl = Charles, Heinrich = Henry, Wilhelm = William, Cord = Curt, and Johann = John.
German "Vornamen" and naming practices
It used to be a common practice in Germany to use "Vornamen" or "prefix names" with the same name, such as Christian or Johann or Maria, being given to every child in the family. The children were called by their second given name. This was the case for many of the Stelzriede families in Germany. It was also common to reuse a name if the first child with that name died in childbirth or very young.
Often the records are far from complete - this is where information from my grandfather and Marshall Stelzriede was invaluable. I feel fortunate that enough information was available to allow me to make connections and assign names that had been lost.
Adoptions -
There are a few adoptions in the family tree. In these cases I have kept the surname of the biological father as the surname and listed the adoptive parents name before that. Examples are Lila Jane Anne Hammerly Stelzriede, born Lila Jane Stelzriede, later adopted by Rex Hammerly, she went by Jane Anne Hammerly. And, Emma Ruth Kinney Brown (wife of Fred. C. Stelzriede) was born to Charles Kinney Brown who was born Charles Brown (Yes, there was a Charlie Brown in the family), later adopted by the Kinneys.
