About 30 years ago, my youngest brother, Dave, and our Dad got bitten by the "Lehmer roots-hunting" bug.
Their painstaking research in those pre-Internet days produced a family tree that extended back to 1700 in Wettereau, Germany. Among the many family details they uncovered was the fact that the family split along three general lines, each with a different spelling of the surname - Lehmer, Leamer or Lamer.
While many family researchers are savvy enough to know that a family's generational lines frequently are cluttered with misspellings and other variations of the family name, I had never previously considered the fact that I may be related to a Leamer or Lamer.
I have since learned that the name means "worker of clay," which I choose to believe means that there's an artist (rather than brickmaker) down deep in the roots of our family tree.
Keep these spelling variations in mind as you research your own family history. You may be able to uncover pertinent family details that would otherwise go undiscovered.
Here are a few places where you can learn more about names:
- Is your name James, but your mother calls you Petey? That's the situation in this post that points out how your legacy is tied to your name.
- These people will create a book for you on the history of your name.
- Want a beer stein with your family crest on it? These folks can do that, and much more.
- What does your name mean? Go here to find out.
Flickr photo courtesy of Luke S..
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