General Discussion

I've posted before on DU about this funny family story.

My aunt was searching for census records of my paternal great-grandfather, Gottlieb Herd. He was from the German sector of Switzerland at Bern. She could not find him anywhere so she switched her computer search to Soundex for similar sounding names. She found him listed as Cutlip Hurt from Bear, Germany.

It was the right location in the US, with the right dates and spouse.

In a German accent, the "g" in his name would sound like a guttural "k." The "b" at the end of his first name would be softer than an English "b." The "d" at the end of his surname, Herd, would sound a lot like a "t." The pronunciation of "ber" in Bern would rhyme with hair. It would sound like bairn.

So, if great-grandpa said that he was German from Bern, the census taker concluded that he was from Bear, Germany. Except that there is no Bear, Germany, which would have been spelled as Baer if it did exist.

So, the mix up in pronunciation comes out as an amusing sort of malapropism in English. Cutlip Hurt from Bear, Germany. Well, if his lip was cut by a bear in Germany, yeah, it would hurt. LOL.