Oblt Werner Pichon-Kalau von Höfe - What JG?

[Peter Cook]

Thank you for the spelling update, I will adjust my records accordingly.

Peter

[Larry deZeng]

Not so fast.................
According to Cassell's German Dictionary (Karl Breul, edited and revised by Harold T. Betteridge, © Cassell's 1971), if the name is spelled Hof without the Umlaut, it's singular; if it is spelled Höfe, it's plural and gets an Umlaut. As a noun, the word has many meanings, but many centuries ago when it came into existence as a part of a family name, Pichon-Kalau vom Höfe means Pichon-Kalau of the manor(s), palace(s), country house(s), estate(s), court(s), etc. That's why it's vom and not von. Von means of or from, while vom is a contraction of von dem (of the .....).

I don't know why Rasmussen's German Genealogie book differs, but it may have something to do with older forms of grammar and spelling. See the way the book spells Teil (part) - Theil with an "h" may have been the way it was spelled 150 - 200 years ago or more.

German grammar lesson over.
Class dismissed.

Naturally, comments and rebuttals from Rasmussen and other native German speakers will be most welcome!

L. deZ.

[VtwinVince]

You're correct, vom is a contraction of von dem, but does not indicate a plural or singular noun, only that it was either masculine or neutral. If feminine, the prefix die would be used, with the resulting von der, which cannot be contracted like von dem.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

For those not familiar with the German language it is indeed a nice grammar lesson. Thank you to both for this!

One's never stop learning in life!

[Larry deZeng]

Originally Posted by VtwinVince

You're correct, vom is a contraction of von dem, but does not indicate a plural or singular noun, only that it was either masculine or neutral. If feminine, the prefix die would be used, with the resulting von der, which cannot be contracted like von dem.

Yes, but I still think Pichon-Kalau von Hof (from Hof) versus Pichon-Kalau vom Höfe (from the courts, etc.) would be the norm today. "Hof", by the way, is masculine and a small town 48 km NNE of Bayreuth on the Saale River in Bayern (Bavaria). "Hof" could also be singular for court, palace, estate, manor, etc.

L.

[John Manrho]

Why are we seeing predominantly Kalau vom Hofe on genealogical sites then?

[Larry deZeng]

That's what I'd like to know, too.

[Rasmussen]

Originally Posted by John Manrho

Why are we seeing predominantly Kalau vom Hofe on genealogical sites then?

... because the correct term in German would be different if the plural ("Höfe") were used: "von den Höfen" and not "von Höfe"

[Larry deZeng]

O.K. I found his name as taken from his Karteikarten card formerly at BA-MA Zentralnachweissstelle in Aachen (and now at BA-MA Freiburg) and also as given in the Gen.Qu.(6.Abt.)/Genst.d.Luftwaffe Verlustmeldung for when he was shot down on 26.4.1942 - in both cases it's given as Werner Pichon-Kalau vom Hofe. No Umlaut. So where the Umlaut came from is a mystery at this point, other than from a primary document or a published source.

L.