HISTORIC PROCESS TO PURCHASE LAND FROM A COLONY/STATE OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| Application for Patent | A request to purchase a certain amount of land in a particular locality. Generally it had to list what types of improvements were planned. There was usually a fee to be paid at the time of application. |
| Land Warrant | This provided authorization to the surveyor to measure the land and create a formal description of the land. |
| Land Survey | Surveys generally described natural features, such as rivers and streams, as well as man-made objects such as roads. Often, the survey would cite bordering properties and the neighbor's names. |
| Land Patent | The patent was the official title to the property granted to the original owner. Afterwards, any sales were handled through deeds. |
POSSIBLE SURNAME MEANINGS
| Surname | Meaning | Based Upon |
|---|---|---|
| Albrecht | famous noble | from "adal" meaning "noble" and "bereht" meaning "famous" |
| Baumgartner | Person who worked an orchard | from "Baum" meaning "tree" and "garten" meaning "garden" |
| Brodbeck | Bread Baker | from "Brot" meaning "bread" and "becke" meaning "baker" |
| Gerberich | Tanner | from "Gerber" meaning "tanner" |
| Herbst | Harvester | from "Herbst" meaning "harvest" in Middle High German, coming to mean "autumn" in modern times |
| Hoffacker | Person living near a field of a manor farm or feudal lord | from "Hof" meaning "farm or estate" and "Acker" meaning "field" |
| Holtzner | Person living in a wood or a woodcutter | from "Holt" meaning "forest" and "-er" meaning "inhabitant" |
| Klinefelter | Worker of small holding in Mecklenburg | from "Klein" meaning "small" and "feld" meaning "field"; also "Kleinfled" as location in Mecklenburg |
| McComas | Son of a man named Thomas | from "Mc" meaning "son of" and "Comas" as an Anglicized form of "Thomas" |
| Senft | Mustard Seller or A Kind, Helpful Person | from "Senf" meaning "mustard" or "Semfti" meaning "soft, accomodating" |
| Sterner | Stonecutter | from "Stein" meaning "stone" |
| Vetter | Uncle or Nephew or Cousin | from "Vetere" meaning "uncle" or "nephew" in Middle High German, coming to mean "cousin" in modern times |
| Zimmerman | Carpenter | from "Zimber" meaning "timber/wood" and "mann" meaning "man" |