My great grandmother's name was...?

Question

Mabel Altizer. Which does it sound...German or Spainish[From Spain].

Answer 1

I found two girls named Mabel Altizer, both from Virginia, in the 1920 census. See if one of these is your great-grandmother. If one is, then it won't be hard to trace her:

Mabel A Altizer
Parents: John L, Lizzie M
Residence: Indian Valley, Floyd, Virginia
Born abt 1910
Place of birth: Virginia
White
Daughter


Mabel P Altizer
Parents: Waitman G, Ollie P
Residence: Auburn, Montgomery, Virginia
Year of birth abt 1919
Place of birth: Virginia
White
Daughter


I also found a Mabel Altizer who married Cecil Appleby from Cumb, KY.

I may not know everything about the family, but I can assure you of a few things. One, none of these people were Jews escaping to Spain. Nor were any of them of Spanish extraction. The Altizer name is not the original spelling. They trace back to colonial New York in the immigrant ancestor named Johann Peter Altheiser, b 20 Jun 1695 in Germany. He came to the US and lived in Dutchess Co, NY. His descendents moved into Tazewell Co VA and adjusted the spelling of the name to Altizer.

If you want to trace this lineage, it won't be hard. I've found excellent references on the name at several very credible sites, including the DAR. You could probably get back to the 1600s in under a month.

Answer 2

LOL. My great-great grandmother`s names I know Margareta - she came from Sweden Eliza Carolina- my 12 year old daughter Caitlyn Rose came damn close to being named Caroline Rose sort of after my dad Charles Ralph Maisy - short for Margaret I think My great grandmother`s names: Nora Daisy- - sometimes she was called Dolly Myrtle Hilda My grandmother`s names Irene Elizabeth -- was called Bessie LeMoise -- shortened it to Lee and moved Moise (pronouced Mwoss or Mwah) to her middle name. LeMoise`s sister is Marcella - not my grandmother obviously but as LeMoise died when I was nine she has been like a grandmother. Agnes Victoria -- technically my dad`s stepmom after Bessie died but the only grandma I knew. Bettie Louisa -- my mom`s stepmom from the time I was 11. My husband`s grandmothers and some great grandmothers: Fern Evelyn Kristina Ida Rose Genevieve My kids` grandmothers: Sue (not Susan or Susanne -- Sue -- but when she went to put her full name down for things people wanted to change it to Susan. She was LeMoise`s daughter so I am guessing my grandmother wanted to give her children more simple names) Bonnie Rae

Answer 3

Mabel
English: originally a nickname from the Old French vocabulary word amabel, amable lovely (related to modern English amiable friendly, good-humoured). The initial vowel began to be lost as early as the 12th century (the same woman is referred to as both Mabilia and Amabilia in a document of 1185), but a short vowel in the resulting first syllable was standard, giving a rhyme with babble, until the 19th century, when people began to pronounce the name to rhyme with table. Spanish: contracted short form of Maria Isabel (cf. Maribel). Variant: English: Mable.

Cognate (of I): Irish Gaelic: Máible.


Altizer
Americanized form of Dutch Althuyzer or German Althäuser, topographic name for someone who lived in ‘the old house’ or a habitational name from Althausen in Germany, named as ‘the old houses’. Compare German Althaus.
Dictionary of American

Answer 4

Your family name definately orginates (and sounds) spanish. Occording to the Altizer family crest the name orginated in Galicia, a nothernwest region of the Iberian penensula.

Answer 5

I have searched and searched; one website indicated that it is from the Netherlands (Dutch which is close to the pronounciation of Deutch, the German word for German!) To me, it does sound somewhat Germanic; of course, so do a lot of Dutch words. Also, the Swiss speak German (and Italian and, of course, Swiss).
Perhaps you could do a DNA test; no confusion there. Try a reputable one, such as www.familytreedna.com

Answer 6

A bit Spanish. Was she Jewish? A lot of German Jews went to Franco's Spain. She might of adjusted her name to fit in.

Answer 7

One family history page has the name as Althausen a German originally.
http://altizer.net/

Answer 8

the first thing I thought, too, was her last name sounds possibly Jewish.