Mary,
That is a pretty amazing story! It is hard to imagine the process by which they arrived at that name.  

In Ireland where I am from Gaelic names were systematically changed to English versions by government officials during English rule. So my family name Ó Gabhláin was translated to Forkan ('gabhlóg' was a 'fork'). The relationship of the two names is not readily recognizable. In other cases the names were just anglicized, so that a similar-sounding name was chosen. Neither approach seems to have been used in your father-in-law's case!
--
Sinéad 


---- [log in to unmask] wrote: 
> on the name thing...
>  
> My father-in-law entered Ellis Island as Vincenzo Agostino Fimignari.   He 
> left Ellis Island as James Joseph Maniery.  He was only 7 and doesn't  remember 
> why, nor did he ever ask his parents what happened.  We have his  green card 
> and other paperwork though to back up the name change.
>  
> Mary L.  Maniery
> PAR Environmental Services, Inc.
> PO Box 160756
> Sacramento, CA  95816
> 1906 21st Street
> Sacramento CA  95814
> 916/739-8356
> 
> 
> 
> ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.