Revision 49434949 of "Krauskopf" on enwiki

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Family names such '''Krauskopf''' have been recorded in [[Germany]] and in other regions of Europe from medieval times. Native German surnames are commonly found in [[Switzerland]], [[Austria]], [[Luxembourg]] and [[Alsace Lorraine]], as well in Germany proper. In addition, there are other European regions where German family names occur as a result of specific historical circumstances. Among these areas are [[Siebenburgen]] (Seven Castles), a territory in the region of [[Transylvania]], located within the borders of the modern nation of [[Romania]]. Around the year 1150, a large number of settlers from the [[Moselle]] region of Germany were settled in this area, where they were referred to by the natives as [[Saxons]], the term commonly applied to all Germans by the peoples of the [[Balkans]]. This occurred a century before the establishment of [[Berlin]]. Indeed, ancestors of the Krauskopf family did not see the documented birth of the city of Berlin until the year 1244, several years after that of its sister town, [[Kolln]]. The two towns were established for geographical and mercantile reasons, as they commanded a natural east west trade route over the [[Spree River]] much as towns on the main commanded north south route, with both rivers serving peoples on each side, including no doubt the honorable forefathers of the Krauskopf family.

German surnames may also be encountered in [[Russia]] and [[Ukraine]] while [[Slavic peoples|Slav]] names are also frequently documented in Germany, particularly in Eastern Germany. Following the [[Mongol invasions]] in the thirteenth century, the authorities in Ukraine and Russia recruited German merchants and artisans to revitalize towns which had been devastated by the Mongol hordes. In the eighteenth century, at the invitation of the Russian Empress [[Catherine the Great]], German settlers established themselves in the fertile lands in the region of the [[Volga River]], west of the [[Ural mountains]]. These Volga Germans eventually numbered seven hundred thousand and a significant number remain in Russia to this day. The mother of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin) was a Volga German.

While some of the Germans dwelling in Russia and Ukraine learned the local languages and adopted Slav customs, many remained German, living in German speaking towns with German names, often under the legal system known as [[Magdeburg law]], which took its name from the German city of [[Magdeburg]]. As early as the twelfth century, German adventurers, merchants and missionaries were active in the [[Baltic region]], and German influences are reflected in some of the surnames encountered in [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Estonia]], names which have been long established in these regions. Thus, by the time that family names were developing, the German culture and language had been broadly diffused throughout [[Europe]].

The German family name Krauskopf is classified as being of nickname origin. Surnames which are derived from a nickname constitute one of the widest and most varied classes of family names. This particular category encompasses many different types of origin, the most obvious being those names which are based on a physical characteristic or personal attribute of the initial bearer. In this particular instance, the surname Krauskopf translates literally as ''curly head''. Thus, one so named would have been a person with a distinguishing head of curly hair. Variants of the surname Krauskopf include Kraus, Kraushaar, Krusekopf, and Krusekop.

One of the earliest references to this name or to a variant is a record of one Gereke Krusekop, who in the year 1444 was a citizen of [[Hanover]]. Notable bearers of the surname Krauskopf include [[Justus Krauskopf]] (b. 1787), a German painter. The earliest German surnames, those dating from the twelfth century, are frequently found in their Latin form with the vernacular being used at a later stage. Indeed, one such name is recorded in manuscripts compiled in the city of Koln or Cologne for the year 1135, which makes it one of the earliest of German surnames to be recorded. This name was introduced into America in connection with nineteenth century immigration. As early as in the year 1851, there is a record of the emigration to New York of 47 year old shoemaker Johann Krauskopf and his family consisting of Hermann 18, Dave 16, Auguste 12, Elsie 9, Carl 8, Johann 4 and Else 2.

While many families in Germany who bear coats of arms are descendants of titled nobles and knights, many others trace their ancestries to burgers (citizens) whose blazons originated as designs in the signed rings they used to authenticate documents, or on the signs which identified their places of business. Medieval Germany was home to many dynamic and fiercely independent cities, where the ruling classes were comprised of wealthy merchants and professionals.

Engelbert Krauskopf (1820-1881 [[Bendorf]], Germany) arrived in [[Texas]] in 1846 from [[Antwerp]], Germany. He settled in Fredericksburg were he worked as a cabinetmaker and married Rosa Herbst. He eventually gave up the trade to become a gunsmith and once made a gun especially for [[Robert E. Lee]]. He supplied ammunition to Gillespie County during the Civil War, was a captain of a home guard company and helped many families that were forced to hide during the war.

Eberhardt Krauskopf (?-?), who married Elizabeth Brown, were from [[Hessen]], Germany and the parents of Joseph Krauskopf (1852 Hessen, Germany - 1912 Zurich, Ontario m. Mary Foster, Alsace Lorraine). They had a large family: Magdalina(John Ballge), Albert(Ida Ballge), Joseph(Bertha Kieser), Mary(Herman Keller), Albenia(James McLaughlin), Cecilia, Annie, August(Theresa Zettle), Elizabeth(James Nolan), Nicholas(Agnes Napier), and Clara. August Krauskopf (1887 Dublin, Ontario-1968) came to [[Morinville, Alberta]] from Kitchener, Ontario around 1907; he was a blacksmith in Morinville, which was founded by French and a few German settlers. In 1910 he married Theresa Zettle (1889-1968) who came from South Dakota with her parents in 1899 and settled near Cardiff, Alberta. A part of August still remains in Morinville, as he built the iron gates in 1927 which are at the entrance of the St. Jean Baptiste Church Cemetery.

==External link==
*[http://telusplanet.net/public/paulind/mypage.htm Krauskopf Family page]

[[Category:Surnames]]