Hi all, As you can see I'm an Isermann (by birth - Iserman) and doing my own research I've already discovered some changes to the name through time - whether by the person phonetically trying to spell our ancestors names (given with a thick accent, I'm sure, for some time after they got here) or a transcription error years later who knows - but BE AWARE as you go backward in time to variations!! It may be the missing link in finding that elusive ancestor!
My own example is that I've seen Iserman as - Iseman (no "r" - so go back far enough and sure enough John/Jacob Iseman is Joseph Iserman's brother!); Iverman (on the Census!!! he's the only one in country - oops); Eysaman; Eysama; Ijerman... shall I go on?
it's good to poke around the web and look for all the variations of a name (both first and last names) - also be aware of naming patterns (which can vary greatly among different ethnic groups!); and surname prefixes and suffixes; and county line changes....
have learned a lot in a little time and just wanted to pass along what I hope are some helpful tips for the beginners - it's a great "hobbie" (obsession?! LoL) and we all want to help them do well...
also - Iserman/n (possibly something else when I get back far enough) could be German (as oral tradition went) - but I'm finding that it could very well be Ijerman - which is Dutch! Put an "E" in the front and it represents the Jewish-German area! Or even the fact that "Prussia" encompassed vastly different regions of "Germany" depending on what year/time periond it was!
People migrated, even in the homeland, and also might have just taken the villages name, or some other convenience or marker (occupation, as in Smith) when they had to supply a Surname to get into America!
it's a fascinating pastime - but don't forget the other "fun" stuff to learn about while digging for those pesky "facts"!
Happy Hunting!
Lynne : )