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Post by aln1982 on Jul 30, 2007 19:29:06 GMT -5
^ I know Keep Out Claudia said the Rowdowskys were Polish but maybe they were wrong or maybe it was even the boys' mom's side of the family. Never thought of that possibility.
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Post by greer on Jul 31, 2007 7:03:45 GMT -5
I think they were polish because it's explicitly stated
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Post by aln1982 on Aug 27, 2007 23:42:04 GMT -5
In Fire at MA’s House, it mentions that one of Sharon’s great-great-great grandfathers came to America from Ireland. Kind of surprised that this means Dawn has some Irish in her. I would have guessed Scandinavian (but I suppose the reference just indicates a tiny bit of Irish) because of the fair completion and blonde hair (I’m probably stereotyping with that, though) I like it how they discuss Abby’s lineage in Abby in Wonderland since I’m interested in genealogy and history, anyway.
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Lauren
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,026
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Post by Lauren on Aug 27, 2007 23:43:51 GMT -5
Was Abby's dad Jewish? My guess would be that he wasn't because of his last name, but I could be totally wrong.
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Post by aln1982 on Aug 27, 2007 23:49:48 GMT -5
^ I always assumed he was but don't remember it being mentioned. I think of Stevenson as a Jewish name but I'm probably wrong. Or maybe he converted after marrying her mom (or maybe not at all.) Is that possible?
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Lauren
Sitting For The Newtons
Posts: 2,026
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Post by Lauren on Aug 27, 2007 23:53:15 GMT -5
I think of Stevenson being an English/Scottish name because of Robert Louis Stevenson. Both scenarios are possible.
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Post by ringdings on Aug 28, 2007 10:02:57 GMT -5
I think Abby's dad was Jewish. IIRC, the last time she saw her dad's side of the family was at her cousin's (on her dad's side) Bar Mitzvah. But it wasn't uncommon for immigrants to shorten or Anglicize their name upon entering Ellis Island.
I haven't read Abby in Wonderland in a very long time. (Didn't care for it) What is her heritage?
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gabbie
New To Stoneybrook
Posts: 144
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Post by gabbie on Aug 28, 2007 12:56:05 GMT -5
Spier is German I think. I've got German ancestry, and my grandmother's maiden name was "Speer" (close enough) My last name is virtually identical to Mary Anne's and my father's family came from Scotland. It is possible that they could have come from Germany originally but they had been in Scotland for several hundred years by the time they left for the US in the 1700s. There are no relatives that I know of who live in Germany and I have a family history book detailing all of this information.
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Post by ringdings on Aug 29, 2007 17:10:27 GMT -5
I think in Aloha, Baby-sitters, MA mentions that she is part German, part Lithuanian, and part something else.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2007 19:03:31 GMT -5
I agree with the PP about the Ellis Island thing. So Spier could have been Tzchaikovsky or something totally different, but the Ellis Island folk couldn't pronounce it. Happened to my grandmother, who was a Goldberg without an ounce of German in her (she was Russian/Polish 100%). They couldn't pronounce her parents' original name so they gave her a random Jewish one because they were Jewish. Stevenson probably was changed for sure, since they did that with so many Jewish names.
Also, I have relatives with English names who aren't English, usually Polish or Czech but the names were "too long" for the immigration folks to handle. Sad but true!
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Post by Kylie90210 on Nov 26, 2007 0:19:58 GMT -5
My last name is McGovern, which is Irish. My Mum's maiden name is McDonald, which is Scottish. So you can't differentiate between Mac and Mc and Irish and Scottish.
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Penny Lane
Sitting For The Arnolds
The Girl With Colitis Goes By
Posts: 2,888
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Post by Penny Lane on Nov 26, 2007 0:34:16 GMT -5
Well, I guess you can be more than one thing. I'm something like 90% British, ancestors fought for our rights and all that jazz... but my last name is very irish, and I have heard stories about potato boat travel. So it would be possible for the Rowdowskys to be Polish, even if their last name was czech.
I think the Kilbournes and Brewers are British names. I do wonder about Delaney, though.
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Post by luckymojo on Jan 24, 2008 6:44:46 GMT -5
MA is part norwegian too
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Post by helsieboo on Jan 27, 2008 9:36:06 GMT -5
McGill could be either Scottish or Irish...though possibly North of Ireland as opposed to the South?
Emily Bernstein - German maybe?
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Post by greer on Jan 27, 2008 17:45:42 GMT -5
I'm pretty sure Stacey specifically says she's scottish and french.
i'd always thought that emily bernstein was jewish. bernstein was trotsky's original last name, so maybe she's related ;D
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