MESSMER is not MESSNER

Soufflenheim researchers occasionally find the surname MESSMER in the records. This name is found much more rarely in secondary sources – writings derived from the original handwritten records – because it has almost always been transformed into MESSNER. Messmer was a family distinct from Messner, as we will explain, and the common replacement of the "m" with an "n" is incorrect.

The reason for the common alteration of Messmer to Messner can be analyzed and explained in great detail. The quality of the original handwriting, the human tendency to see what we expect, and the common practice of "standardizing" surnames all play a role. But, without delving into those things, the primary culprit seems to be the simple unfounded assumption that Messmer is a variant spelling of Messner. Both Messmer and Messner have multiple true variants that differ in the spelling of the first syllable, but the difference in the last syllable – "-mer" versus "-ner" – has proven to be significant.

As an “aside” regarding pronunciation, although Messmer and Messner both have “single-s” variants, we believe that the predominant use of the “double-s” spellings indicates that the (hissing) “s” sound was the intended result. We avoid using the “single-s” spelling because it will often be pronounced using the English-type “z” sound.

One might reasonably wonder how, considering the prevalent assumption that MESSMER is MESSNER, it could be shown that MESSMER is not MESSNER. The non-relatedness of two family lines having the same surname can be presumptively (but not conclusively) established through the good fortune of finding that the progenitor of one line was an immigrant from another locale. Of course, if the surnames of the two lines are not actually the same, a clear and consistent difference in pronunciation should be observed. In the present case, we found that both these conditions held.

Initially, we had good reason to suspect that MESSMER was a family distinct from MESSNER. In some of the "Ten-Year Tables" (the indexes of the Soufflenheim records that were produced in same era as the records themselves), the Messmer and Messner surnames were gathered in separate groupings. Significantly, also, the name Messmer appears (written clearly) in documents penned and signed by a Messner, who would probably have spelled his own surname consistently. Additionally, apart from the Soufflenheim records, one family of Soufflenheim immigrants to North America was known to have used the "m-spelling".

A lingering suspicion became an investigation when we found ourselves – for an entirely different reason – studying the earliest records of the Messmer family. We were compelled to notice that the "m-spelling" seemed to be consistently and carefully applied – sometimes with extraordinarily-clear writing – to one particular family line...a line that had originated outside Soufflenheim, in Surbourg. The greater portion of four generations of the Messmer clan was then identified and most of the available microfilmed records inspected, along with obtaining translations of Messmer-related estate inventories (requesting special attention to name spellings). The "m-spelling" was found to have been not absolutely consistently applied, with a few instances of either an ambiguous spelling or a clear "n-spelling" appearing. This was not surprising and did not seriously challenge the notion that Messmer was indeed distinct from Messner...both in origin and in pronunciation of the name. As additional assurance, inspection of a significant number of known-legitimate MESSNER records revealed no instance of the "m-spelling"...it was clearly not a random error or variation on the "n-spelling".

A few key records will provide a good start at duplicating this study: The “first” record is of the 12 November 1746 marriage of Michel MESSMER to Salome Metzler, establishing Michel's origin in Surbourg and identifying his parents as Petri MESSMER and Anna Maria Uler (neither of whose surnames was "native" to Soufflenheim). Michel and Salome's son Joseph's baptism was recorded 25 March 1761, using the surname MESMER (this is one that could easily be seen as Messner). Salome died and Michel married Barbe Stabler...and their child's baptism record of 10 September 1765 uses what appears to be the spelling MOESMER. The marriage of Joseph MESSMER, son of Michel and Salome, to Margaretha Buchmüller was recorded on 15 January 1788. The birth of Joseph and Margaretha's son "Vincentius" was recorded on 1 Pluviose yr 12 (22 January 1804) using MESSMER. Joseph's death record of 22 December 1831 exhibits both MESMER and MESSMER. The marriage of Vincent MESSMER and Marie Anne Rund was recorded on 2 February 1833. If you visit Maryhill, Ontario, you can find Vincent's tombstone in the St. Boniface church cemetery and see the spelling MESMER.

Mark Drexler

August, 2006