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Forster
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Forster
Family history
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Very little is
currently known regarding my Forster family line other that it originated in
the Palatinate area of Germany. My 8th great-grandmother Kunigunda Forster lived
during the second half of the 17th century. It is said that she was a from the community of Hornbach that is
now located within the German state of the Rhineland-Palatinate. Kunigunda married Theodor Born a
native of Unterhof, now in Baden-Wurrtemburg,
Germany. Our lineage continues
through their daughter Susanna Margaretta Forster Born
who entered this world at Rimschweiler,
Rhienland-Pflaz, Germany. It is most
likely that Kunigunda Forster lived
in or around Rimschweiler during her entire life. |
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Name Meaning and
History Research into the history of this Förster family line indicates that the
meaning and history of this surname is most likely linked to that area of
Europe where the German language is commonly spoken. The German
surname Förster is an occupational and
topographic name for someone who lived and worked in a forest. Its origins are from the Middle High
German word forst ‘forest’.
The use of this Förster as a surname in Germany
is first found in Bavaria, where the name emerged in medieval times as one of
the notable families of the region. |
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Source: Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press,
ISBN 0-19-508137-4 Family Facts (Ancestry.com) |
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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 Förster, or one of its variants, as arriving in North America between the 17th
and 20th centuries. Some
of these immigrants were: Hans Michael Forster, who came to Philadelphia in 1727; as did Conrad
Forster in 1744; and Jacob Forster in 1749; George Forster came to Charles
Town, South Carolina, in 1772. |
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German Surname Meanings & Origins Many German names have their roots in the
Germanic middle ages. The process of forming family names began around the
year 1100 and extended through 1600. 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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Forster |
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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: Forster, Foerster, Forstern, Forstner and many more. |
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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 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 Forster is F623. Other surnames sharing this Soundex Code: FIRESTONE | FOERSTER | FOREST | FORESTEIRE | FORESTER | FORREST | FORRESTER | FORSTER | FORSTHYE | FORSYTH | FORSYTHE | FRAUSTO | FRECHETTE | FREESTONE | FROST | FUERST | FURCHTENICHT | FURST | |
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Source: Surname Resources at ROOTSWEB |
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Searching
for more Information about this and other surnames? Then
take a look at our: |
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Forster |
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Additional information
about my DIRECT ANCESTORS and their families may be reviewed by clicking on the name LINK(s) below. |
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NAME |
BIRTH / DEATH / LOCATIONS |
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b: c. 1652, of Hornbach,
Rhienland-Pflaz, Germany |
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The following LINK will take you to a complete listing of individuals in my database with this surname. |
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Free
Genealogy Surname Search
Help from Google |
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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 |
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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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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 |
RHEINLAND-PFLAZ |
Sudwestpfalz (Hornbach) |
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Use this LINK to find out
more about the locations listed above. |
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Forster |
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The documents and headstones 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: Greenwood, Val D., The Researcher’s Guide
to American Genealogy, 2nd edition, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD 21202, 1990, pgs. 62-63 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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Forster |
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The following search engine and websites may provide
you with additional |
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information
to assist with your research about persons with this 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 the following link to get access
to millions of genealogy and surname records with a FREE surname search at THE GENEALOGY REGISTER. |
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Additional Sites That We Recommend |
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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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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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Snail Mail: Fred
USA |
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Snail Mail: Fred
USA |
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