Germany and Polish ancestors problem

[mimosa]

Hi

My Gt Grandfather Lewis (or Louis) Wood was born c 1862 in East London, on later census I found him with siblings Abraham born c1859 and Israel born c1860 (Israel may have died aged 21 c1881 in Mile End Old Town). His mother Elizabeth or Betsy as she is stated in some census seems to have married a Chas Wood who it states was German and then some time between my Gt Grandfather and  1871 it seems she was widowed and married a Polish gentlemen whose name is either Grodinsky,Grodenski or even Grollenski and first names of either Asher or Ousel, in the 1871 all three brother are stepsons.

Can anyone give me any advice how I would go about trying to sort this out and where I could contact to find things out.

As you can imagine I am pulling my hair out with this one and it seems to be the only one of my families that I can get any further with.

Any help at all would be gratefully received.

Thank you muchly 

Mimosa

[Berlin-Bob]

Hi Mimosa,

I don't know what you look like, but I am sure you look better with your hair in place, so, first of all,  a word of advice:

      DON'T PULL YOUR HAIR OUT BECAUSE OF (possible) GERMAN AND POLISH ANCESTORS !!!   

If you've been reading some of the posts here you will know what a difficult task you have.

First possibility: did any of these people apply for naturlisation ?

Check out the thread here http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,130042.0.html for where and how to look.

I don't know how "involved" you want to get. There is a very good book on naturalisation and aliens, see here: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,45248.0.html which you might be able to find in your local library or FRC.

Good luck,
Bob

[mimosa]

Hi Bob,

Hubby agree will look better with hair but then again he says it would save him some money at the hairdressers.

Jokes apart thank you for the information I think a trup to Kew is in order and I am going to look around for the book also, I guess it will be interesting to find out about these two guys if I can and I love a challenge.

Thanks Bob

Mimosa

[mimosa]

Hi Bob

May I bother you, on reading through some of your posts you have said that people changed there names when they came to this country, can you tell me what Wood would have been changed from.

By the way got the book today I am looking forward to reading it.

Mimosa

[XPhile2868]

Maybe, although this is just a suggestion, it was Zimmerman?

Zimmerman means Carpenter, and carpenters use wood.

Just a suggestion though.

[Berlin-Bob]

Good thinking, XPhile 

Another possibilty could be Holz as that is german for Wood, but ........

Name changes are very individual, so we are all only guessing here   

[mimosa]

Hi Guys

Sorry for the late response was not notified of these messages,
thanks I will put these t the test and see what happens

Mimosa