LL-L "Travels" 2007.06.24 (04) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  24 June 2007 - Volume 04

=========================================================================

From: Paul Finlow-Bates <wolf_thunder51 at yahoo.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Travels" 2007.06.24 (02) [E]

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Travels

.. Generally speaking, I find it interesting that in Germany mention of
historic emigration tends to mention only the USA.  It is true that it was
the main destination (and a very large percentage of US citizens today are
of at least part German descent), but there was also a lot of emigration to
Canada, Latin America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Reinhard/Ron

Just a couple of weeks ago I was in Hahndorf, just outside Adelaide, South
Australia.   Is Hahn a particularly Northern surname or is common throughout
Germany? Or does it just mean what it seems to mean?

This was just one of several centres of German settlement, which were
particularly common in South Australia.  SA was never part of the greater
New South Wales colony (which once included all of the Eastern states,and
present Northern Territory).  I gather this made it easier for non-British
settlers in the 19th C.

Paul

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sasisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Travel

Hi, Paul!

I hope you had a great time in Australia (even though you went there in the
cool season).

The surname Hahn does not mean what it seems to ("cock," "rooster"). It is a
contracted form of Hagen, which survives in many German dialects. The
English equivalent is the fairly rare name Hawn (as in Goldie Hawn).  The
names go back to hag (haag) > English "haw", namely 'grove', 'thicket',
etc., surviving in "hawthorn" for instance.  Hagen was the setter in or by
the hag.  Hahn and Haan (the latter spelling being predominant in the
Netherlands, often extended to de Haan) appears to be of Saxon origin,
although it is now found over most of Germany and the Netherlands.

South Australia's Hahndorf is named after the sea captain Dirk Hahn who took
the settlers from Altona (near Hamburg) to South Australia's Port Misery
(sounding very inviting) on the ship Zebra in 1838.  He was not keen on it
because his previous voyage with 140 emigrants to New York had been anything
but enjoyable. It turned out all right, though, and the new arrivals became
instrumental in new ventures and founded new settlements in Barossa Valley.
They appear to have had great respect and gratitude for Hahn, for they named
their main settlement after him, even though he returned to his home
country.  He was born and died in Westerland (*Wäästerlön)* on the North
Frisian Island of Sylt (Söl'). (I'm not sure if this was under Danish rule
then.)

As a part of wide anti-German expressions, the colonial government changed
the name Hahndorf to Ambleside in 1917, but in 1935 it reverted to Hahndorf.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20070624/052e10e7/attachment.htm>