My second son married a woman from Puerto Rico. As she is one of 3 girls, with a famous grandfather, she did not want to loose the family name. When they had my second grandson they asked if they could give him her family surname. I now have three grandchildren with my husbands surname, and one without. I wonder how often this kind of thing happened?
Regarding Ellis Island, in the later 1800’s there was another location used, either for the “better” classes or because EI had not yet been opened. At any rate my German grandparents on my mothers side came in there. I have in my hands an old typescript of a family geneology which is purported to go back to the 11th century. It is in German, so I can’t read it, but I did find my grandmother as being one of the most recent entries. Do you have any idea how I could get together with a scholar who would help translate? The family names included von Gramatski, and Kunkle (sp?)
If you're near a large college or University, you might want to start with German profs.
Perhaps start with the genealogy surname forums:
http://genforum.genealogy.com/kunkle/
The name von Gramatski probably came from Prussia (wild guess), and probably eastern Prussia at that; my most recent German ancestors came from a town which is now in Poland as a consequence of the post-WWII redrawing of borders by the USSR. Poland was basically knocked eastward into former eastern Germany, with the USSR getting a chunk of former eastern Poland.
For the German stuff, find someone who is fluent in German, probably preferable to get an actual German from Germany. As will Euro-countries in general, Germany standardized its language (using the public schools), probably early in the 20th century. There is some German language stuff among my family’s heirlooms, including (worthless) investment certificates and a colloquial German Bible.
Whoops, I meant “knocked westward”. [blush]