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THE NAME IS THE GAME

-by Ed Stout

Our common ancestor's name is spelled, or is it misspelled, as 'Volprecht* right at, or near, the top off our official family association publication. Are we certain that is the proper spelling or is it really being misspelled? What actually was the name of our ancient pioneering forefather? Was it 'Volprecht* or was it originally Vollbrecht* ? Is it spelled with a 'p* or with a 'b' or with two 'bb*s? Or yet some other way?

Amos Medford, an early and hard working family historian and chartist, certainly thought that it was Volprech, and people display great faith in his opinions. His information was probably based on the passenger list of the ship "Robert and Alice". Unfortunately there is no infallible way of knowing which names on that list were signatures and which were name entries made by a ship's clerk. These same lists were later copied and published in "Pennsylvania German Pioneers--A Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727-1808" by Ralph B. Strassburger. Also Professor Rupp, in his "Thirty Thousand Names of Immigrants", which is widely available, used the same listing. This spelling was supported, as well, under date of Dec. 3, 1740, by a list of those taking the oath of allegiance to the British Crown as required of all immigrants at that time. Both lists are fair evidence of the name spelling as the name is not divided by an X as if it were his mark, but certainly they cannot be deemed infallible. These are lists of names of German nationals, the lists being drawn by Englishmen who probably did not speak German, and who spelled the German names as best they could. The Germans did not necessarily sign their own names, indeed many may very well have been unable to do so.

Looking for the name as it was commonly used by German nationals in original German records should result in finding an accurate spelling. A notable source of such names is in the fine work done by a German historian, the Rev. William John Hinke, PhD., D.D., published in 1925 as "A History of Tohickon Union Church, Bedminster Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania". Dr. Hinke was then Professor of Semitic Languages and Religions at Auburn Theological Seminary at Auburn, New York. He is well known for his extensive research into the origins of many of the early churches and their ministers. The book was written, in part, based upon hand written copies of several original church records obtained by Dr. Hinke in January, 1921, and which were translated personally at that time from the original German to English.

In his translation Dr. Hinke states that he intentionally has adopted the common English forms of all christian names, rather than retaining the German equivalent, except when they were rare German names not in use in English. Surnames were always translated and recorded with all their variations exactly as they appeared in the records. The name of the same family was sometimes spelled several different ways by the same pastor on the same page of his original record. However, since the pastors we are here concerned with were all German, the German language to a great extent controlled their spelling. Since they were of above average education it seems reasonable to believe that when they recorded a German name familiar to them, in generally the same manner, it certainly is the most reliable record available to us. Records used by Dr. Hinke covered the years from 1737 onward and were from churches such as the Tohickon Reformed Church, Keller's Lutheran Church, the Dryland Church, the Forks of the Delaware, the Trinity, the Springfield Church, and the Lower Saucon Church. The Pastors were invariably German. The records found invariably use the spelling "Vollbrecht" except a very few that show but one 'L*, and in one case it is spelled "Wollebrech". Convincing proof, indeed, that the name must be Vollbrecht, not Volprecht.

If more proof is still needed then take a look at old Wilhelm's baptismal records, dated in 1746, which show him as John Wilhelm Volbrecht. He is also shown as Wilhelm Volbrecht on an inventory of 'Waggons and Horses* owned by inhabitants of Williams Township that was compiled in 1758 by the local Constable, Adam Riesser, undoubtedly was another German. Wilhelm was naturalized on June 27, 1762 and is listed in two places, once as William Fulbright and once as William Volbrecht. Use of the Americanized name of Fulbright, rare in Pennsylvania, became common in North Carolina starting with the recording of the land purchase in 1769. Vollbrecht did continue to be used, however rarely, and is found in some Lincoln County church records dated in August of 1776, and also in some estate papers dated as late as 1815. It therefore presently definitely appears that the spelling "Vollbrecht" is established as being correct. Perhaps it is time we all start using it exclusively.