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Family history Family history
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It is
believed that a Nicholas
Blau is the father of my 6th
great-grandmother Maria
Catharina Blau. Maria was most likely born about 1710 in
the village of Thaleischweiler
which was at that time was located in that area known as Bayern-Pfalz. Bayern-Pflaz is an historical region of
Germany also known as the Rhenish-Palatinate.
Today Thaleischweiler is located in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is important to note that various
researchers have her place of birth as Eschweiler Stadt,
Rheinland, Preussen. Current research shows that there are two towns named Eschweiler in
Germany and both are located in North Rhine-Wesphalia. One is 196 miles and the other is 150 miles
from Thaleischweiler. Thus this place
of birth is suspect due to the aforementioned distances from the place where
the husband was born, as well as the 1750 passenger list of the Ship
St. Andrew which clearly states that the family was from
Thaleischweiler. A possible
explanation for this difference in locations could be that a previous
researcher may have misspelled Thaleischweiler during a transcription by
omitting the first four letters. In
1745 Maria Catharina married Johan
Paul Ilges of Thaleischweiler. This
union produced at least four known children.
I am descended through their youngest child Johann Phillip Ilges born 1752 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Apparently Maria Catharina married a William Hoog after the death of Johann Phillip. This event occurred 21 Dec 1762 at the First Reformed Church,
in the city of Lancaster Pennsylvania. It
is most probable that Maria Catherina lived that remainder of her days in
Lancaster County. |
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Origins of the
surname
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An Introduction to the Surname
The practice of inherited family
surnames began in England and France during the late part of the 11th century. Surnames were first utilized in the Germanic region of central Europe during the second half of the 12th century.
The custom of taking on surnames began in the southern areas of Germany, and gradually spread northward during
the Middle Ages. It took about three hundred years for this
tradition to apply to most families and become a constant part of one’s
identity.
With the passing of generations and the movement of families from
place to place many of the original identifying names were altered into some
of the versions that we are familiar with today. Over the centuries, most of our European
ancestors accepted their surname as an unchangeable part of their lives. Thus people rarely changed their
surname. Variations of most surnames
were usually the result of an involuntary act such as when a government
official wrote a name phonetically or made an
error in transcription. Research into the record of this Blau family line indicates that the
variations, meanings and history of this surname are most likely linked to
that area of Europe where German linguistic traditions are commonly found. |
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Source and Meaning of the Surname
German
surnames, as means of conveying lineage, were developed from four major sources: (1) Patronymic & Matronymic surnames most common in northern
Germany are based on a parent’s first name, such as Niklas Albrecht (Niklas son of Albrecht); (2) occupational
surnames are last names based on the person’s job or trade for example
Lukas Fischer (Lukas the Fisherman); (3) descriptive surnames are based on a unique quality or physical feature of the
individual like Karl Braun (Karl with
brown hair); (4) geographical surnames are derived from the location of the homestead from which the
first bearer and his family lived such as Leon Meer (Leon from by the sea), or derived from the state, region, or
village of the first bearer's origin for example Paul Cullen (Paul from Koeln/Cologne). Blau comes from Middle High German bla
‘blue’ (Old High German blao),
applied as a descriptive surname with various senses: someone who
habitually wore blue clothes, a dyer, someone with blue eyes, a sickly or
pale person, someone with a bluish complexion resulting from poor
circulation, etc. |
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History of the Surname
The German surname Blau, and its variant spellings, have traveled widely in many forms
throughout Europe. First found in the Bayern-Pfalz, which is an historical region of
the Rhenish Palatinate now
located in the modern day German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The
name was closely identified in mediaeval times with the feudal society which
would become prominent throughout this geographical area. Blau is a very early Germanic descriptive
surname and is one of the very first recorded in that country. The Blau name does tend to be confused with the English
versions, and particularly so in the United States
where immigration from both countries was at its height in the 18th century. In any case the name from both countries is
often in the same or similar spelling, which is perhaps not surprising as
they share similar pre 7th
century "Anglo-Saxon"
roots. |
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Early Immigrants to North America
During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands
of Europeans made the
perilous ocean voyage to North America. For many it was an escape from economic
hardship and religious persecution. For
most it was an opportunity for to start over, own their own land, and make a
better future for their descendents.
Immigration records show a number of people bearing the name of Blau, or one of its variants, as arriving
in North America between the 17th and 20th
centuries. Some of these immigrants
were: initially came to French
Canada, Jean Blau who arrived between 1649-1680, Francois Blau came to
Montreal in 1672, and Laurent Blau in 1721.
The Blau surname appeared quite early into the colonies
of North America. Many of these
German immigrants, particularly those with easy English equivalents such as Blue or Bleu, were
encouraged and in some case required to change to an English or French
spelling. Also many German surnames
were re-spelled in America because of the close relationship between the English and German
languages. In some cases Germans are
able to transform their names to the English form just by dropping a single
letter. This was the case with many sea captains or their agents who, when
making up the ships passenger lists, found it easier to use a more familiar
English spelling. After the start of World War One,
Germans in great numbers Anglicized
their names in an effort to remove all doubt as to their patriotism. |
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Use the following links to find
more early immigrants with this surname: $ Search Ancestry.com Immigration
Records; or Free Ship’s Passenger lists at OliveTreeGenealogy.com |
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More About Surname
Meanings & Origins
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German Surnames Many German names have their roots in
the Germanic Middle Ages. The
process of forming family names began early in the 12th Century and extended through
the 16th century.
All social classes and demographic strata aided in the development of names.
First Names (Rufnamen) identified
specific persons. Over time the first name began to be applied to the
bearer's whole family. At first
through verbal usage, family names (Familiennamen) were
later fixed through writing. Until the
17th century, first names played a more
important role. The earliest family names derived from the first name of the
first bearer (Patronym). Later names
derived from the place of dwelling and location of the homestead. If a person of family migrated from one place to another they were
identified by the place they came from.
Of more recent origin are names derived from the vocation of profession
of the first bearer. These names comprise the largest group and the most
easily recognizable, for they tell what the first bearer did for a
living. Another group are names
derived from a physical or other characteristic of the first bearer. Finally, there are names that tell you the
state or region a first bearer and his family came from; the age old division
in tribes and regions (Low German, Middle German and Upper German) is often reflected in names. |
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Variations
of the surname
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Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have
continued to unfold and expand often leading to an overwhelming number of
variants. As such one
can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames because in early
times, spelling in general and thus the spelling of names was not yet
standardized. Later on spellings would
change with the branching and movement of families. Spelling
variations of this family name include: Blaue, Blauberg, Blaubel, Blaubauch, Blaubach, Blau and many others. |
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The complexity of researching records is compounded by the fact that in many cases an ancestors surname may also have been misspelled. This is especially true when searching census documents. The Soundex Indexing System was developed in an effort to assist with identifying spelling variations for a given surname. Soundex is a method of indexing names in the 1880, 1900, 1910, and 1920 US Census, and can aid genealogists in their research. The Soundex Code for Blau is B400. Other surnames sharing this Soundex Code: BAILEY | BAILLIE | BAILLY | BAILY | BALA | BALE | BALL | BALLEAU | BALLEW | BALLOU | BAYLEY | BAYLY | BEAL | BEALE | BEALL | BEAULIEU | BELEW | BELL | BELLAH | BEWLEY | BIELA | BIHLI | BILL | BILYEU | BLAHA | BLEE | BLOW | BLUE | BLY | BOAL | BOLEY | BOOLE | BOWELL | BOWLEY | BOYLE | BUELL | BULL |. |
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Searching for more Information about this and other surnames? |
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Then take a look at our: |
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Family coat of
arms
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In the Middle Ages heraldry came
into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to
distinguish the armored warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed
on seals as marks of identity. As far as records show, true heraldry began in
the middle of the 12th
century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries
of Western
Europe. Heraldry spread
to the German burgher class
in the 13th
century, and even some peasants used arms in the 14th century. |
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Fig. 1 |
Fig. 2 |
ARMORIAL BEARINGS There are at
least 3 known associated
armorial bearings for Blau recorded in Reitstap’s
Armorial General. The following additional information has been found
regarding the arms shown at the left: Figure 1:
The coat-of-arms for Blau of Holland.
Figure 2: the shield of the same arms shown in
greater detail includes a blue shield containing two golden acorns and the
gold head of a steer. The Arms of Blau from Berne canton in Switzerland features a blue shield
with a silver band and three stars.
The armorial bearings granted to a Blau of Auvergne province
in France that shows a blue shield containing a golden fleur-de-lis
accompanied by two red stars and in base a green mound. The crest is a fleur-de-lis. MOTTOES No Blau family mottoes are
known. It is unusual for a German Achievement to include a motto. |
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A Coat of Arms is defined as a group of emblems and figures (heraldic bearings) usually arranged on and around a shield and serving as the special insignia of some person, family, or institution. Except for a few cases, there is really no such thing as a standard "coat of arms" for a surname. A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, is a design usually granted only to a single person not to an entire family or to a particular surname. Coats of arms are inheritable property, and they generally descend to male lineal descendents of the original arms grantee. The rules and traditions regarding Coats of Arms vary from country to country. Therefore a Coat of Arms for an English family would differ from that of a German family even when the surname is the same. The art of designing, displaying, describing, and recording arms is called heraldry. The use of coats of arms by countries, states, provinces, towns and villages is called civic heraldry. Some of the more prominent elements incorporated into a coat of arms are : |
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Crest - The word crest
is often mistakenly applied to a coat of arms. The crest was a later development
arising from the love of pageantry.
Initially the crest consisted of charges painted onto a ridge on top
of the helmet. Wreath
or Torse – The torse is a twist of cloth or wreath underneath and part of a crest. Always shown as
six twists, the first tincture being the tincture of the field, the second
the tincture of the metal, and so on. Mantling – The mantling is a drapery
tied to the helmet above the shield. It forms a backdrop for the shield. Helm or Helmet - The helmet or helm is situated above the shield
and bears the torse and crest. The style of helmet displayed varies according
to rank and social status, and these styles developed over time, in step with
the development of actual military helmets. Shield or Arms - The basis of all coats of arms. At their simplest, arms consist of a shield with a plain field on which appears a geometrical shape or object. The items appearing on the shield are known as charges. Motto - The motto was originally a war cry, but later mottoes often expressed some worthy sentiment. It may appear at the top or bottom of a family coat of arms. |
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Direct Ancestors
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Descendant Register Generation 1 |
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Nicholas Blau-1
born in Germany. Child of Nicholas
Blau is Maria Catharina Blau, B: Abt. 1710 in Thaleischweiler,
Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, Aft. 1762 in Pennsylvania, M: 23 Feb 1745 in
Thaleischweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. |
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Generation 2 |
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Maria
Catharina Blau-2(Nicholas Blau-1) was
born on Abt. 1710 in Thaleischweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany, or
Eschweiler, Rheinland, Prussia. She died on Aft. 1762 in Pennsylvania. She married Johann Paul Ilges on 23 Feb
1745 in Thaleischweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He was born on Abt. 1706 in
Thaleischweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. He died on 1761 in Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania. She married
William Hoog on 21 Dec 1762 in First Reformed Church, Lancaster, Lancaster
Co., PA. Children of Maria
Catharina Blau and Johann Paul Ilges are: i.
Johann Georg Ilges, B: 23
Nov 1745 in Thaleischweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz,
Germany, D: 28 Mar 1801 in Chanceford Twp., York Co., Pennsylvania. ii.
Maria Barbara Ilges, B:
1747 in Thaleischweiler, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. iii.
Johann Philip Ilges, B:
23 Feb 1752 in Lancaster, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania, D: 1792 in York County, Pennsylvania, M:
1775. iv.
Anna Margaret Ilges. |
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Additional information about our DIRECT ANCESTORS as
well as a complete listing of individuals with this surname may be
reviewed by clicking on the following LINK. |
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Use
this free genealogy site to help you get the best genealogy searches from
Google™ by using your family tree, for your research. It will create a series
of different searches using tips or "tricks" that |
will likely improve your
results. The different searches will give you many different ways of using
Google and the Internet to find ancestry information about this or any other
Surname. |
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Ancestral locations
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Researching
the locations where my ancestors lived has provided me with valuable evidence
needed to fill-in the gaps in my family trees. It has also led me to many interesting
facts that enhance the overall picture of each family group. The names of states and counties on the
following list were derived from the known places where the persons in the
“Direct Ancestors” list (see above) were born, married, and / or died. |
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COUNTRY |
STATE |
COUNTY / SUBDIVISION |
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GERMANY |
RHINELAND-PALATINATE |
Thaleischweiler |
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UNITED STATES |
PENNSYLVANIA |
Lancaster
County |
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Use this LINK to find out
more about the locations listed above. |
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Resources
which enhance our knowledge of the places inhabited by our ancestors are
almost as important as their names.
The LINK to
the right will take you to Maps, Gazetteers, and
other helpful resources
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that will assist in
discovering Ancestral Locations. These
web sites comprise only a small portion of what
is available for researchers interested in learning more about the areas in
which their ancestors lived. |
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Click on the LINK to the right to see more information about the World distribution of this
surname. |
You can get greater detail for any of the following maps by
clicking on the area, i.e state, county that you are interested in. |
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Source documents
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The documents contained within the “Source
Documents Archives” have been located during my research of this family, and
used as evidence to
prove many of the facts contained within the database of this family’s
record. Most
of these documents can be considered as primary or secondary evidence. Primary evidence
is usually defined as the
best available to prove the fact in question, usually in an original document
or record. Secondary evidence
is in essence all that evidence which is inferior in its origin to primary
evidence. That does not mean secondary evidence is always in error, but there
is a greater chance of error. Examples
of this type of evidence would be a copy of an original record, or oral
testimony of a record’s contents.
Published genealogies and family histories are also secondary
evidence. Classifying evidence
as either primary or secondary does not tell anything about its accuracy or
ultimate value. This is especially
true of secondary evidence. Thus it is
always a good idea to ask the following questions: (1) How far removed from
the original is it, (when it is a copy)?; (2) What was the reason for the
creation of the source which contains this evidence?; and (3) Who was
responsible for creating this secondary evidence and what interest did they
have in its accuracy? SOURCE: You are welcome
to download any of the documents contained within this archive. Should you encounter a problem obtaining a
copy you may get in touch with us via the contact information found at the
end of this page. |
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Use the
following LINK to view the source documents pertaining to this
family. |
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Web resources
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This search engine may provide you with additional |
information to assist with your research about this topic. |
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Our SURNAME LOCATOR AND RESOURCES web page contains the following: (1) links that will take you to an updated listing of all surnames as posted in our three databases at the Rootsweb WorldConnect Project; (2) the Surname List Finder a tool that finds sound-alike matches for a given surname from among RootsWeb's thousands of surname lists; (3) the Soundex Converter that can be used to find the soundex code for a surname, plus other surnames/spellings sharing the same soundex code; (4) Surname Message Boards the world's largest online genealogy community with over 17 Million posts on more than 161,000 boards; (5) Surname Mailing Lists of all surnames having mailing lists at RootsWeb, as well as topics that include (6) Surname Heraldy, and (7) Mapping a Surname. |
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Your
genealogy
research of this surname can be facilitated by use of SURNAME
WEB.
This website links to the majority of the surname data on the web, as well as
to individual family trees, origin and surname meaning if known, and many
other related genealogy resources. |
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SURNAME
FINDER
provides easy access to free and commercial resources for 1,731,359 surnames.
On each surname specific "finder" page, you can search a variety of
online databases all pre-programmed with your surname. |
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Use ALL
SURNAMES GENEALOGY
to get access to find your surname resources
. There are almost 1300 links in this
directory. |
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Linkpendium Surnames - Web sites, obituaries, biographies,
and other material specific to a surname. Cyndi's List - Surnames, Family Associations & Family Newsletters
Index - Sites or resources dedicated to specific, individual
family surnames. Free Genealogy Search Help for Google - This free genealogy site will help you use Google™ for
your research. It will create a series of different searches using tips or
"tricks" that will likely improve your results. The different
searches will give you many different ways of using Google to find ancestry
information on the Internet. FamilySearch.org
- Family History and Genealogy Records - The
largest collection of free family history, family tree and genealogy records
in the world. Top Genealogical Websites - These mighty roots resources compiled by “Family Tree
Magazine”, will give you the power to bust through research brick walls and
find answers about your ancestors—all from your home computer. SurnameDB
Free database of surname meanings - This site
SurnameDB.Com contains a large FREE to access database (almost 50,000
surnames) on the history and meaning of family last names. |
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The
following Link
will take you to our library of genealogy reference books. Here you will find bibliographies, family histories and books
about names. In addition, there are texts that pertain
to ethnic and religion groups, history, geography
as well as other books that will assist you with your research. Research Library – Table of Contents Go
directly to the collection for Names |
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Images gallery
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During my
research I have collected images and photographs that are of general interest
to a particular family. Some of them
are presented on this website because I believe they tend to provide the
reader with additional information which may aid in the understanding of our
ancestors past lives. If
you have any photographs or other images relating to this ancestral family we would greatly appreciate
hearing from you. |
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Use the
following LINK to ascertain
whether we have any images that pertain to this family. |
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Free Image Search Help from Google |
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Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about
this topic. A Click on this button will link you to the Google Images
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Snail
Mail: Fred USA |
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Snail Mail: Fred USA |
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