06-21-2010

Several additional changes in the text, that had been missed in the 02-08-2019 update, were made to align all sections with the intent of the 02-08-2019 update.

02-08-2019:

This update modifies the intro in the "About" section to reflect the withdrawal of WorldFamilies.net from the internet in response to the new European privacy regulations issued in 2018. This removed one of our complementary websites that was devoted to the traditional genealogy aspects of the project. For now this site (and a complementary German language site) are the only online project site. This update also updates our understanding of the STEINHAR(D)T to STEIERT surname transformation. Evidence obtained this past summer confirmed that in at least one instance, the transformation also occurred in nearby Kirschzarten; but for some unknown reason, unlike in Hinterzarten, it reverted back to the original form after a few generations.

08-03-2016:

This update completes the update began on 07-22-2016 with the posting of some new and some updated documents under the "Links" tab, as well as further updating and aligning the language in the "About", "Background" and "Goals" tabs to reflect our new understanding of the origins of the STEIERT surname and its' link to the STEINHARDT surname in the village of Hinterzarten. Hopefully the next revision will be able to report on new information about our STEINHARDT ancestors.

07-22-2016:

In addition to the update made to the "Goals" tab on 01-22-2016, this update further aligns and expands the language of the "About" and "Background" tabs to better reflect our better informed understanding of the transformation of the STEINHARDT form to the STEIERT form of the surname.  Based on that understanding, that transformation is primarily a spelling transformation that had the effect of aligning the written form of the surname with how the spoken form of the surname sounded to the listener of the day. To someone who was illiterate, the change would have gone unnoticed as both the old and new forms were spoken and heard as the same name.  Only to someone who was literate, would the change have been obvious.  Presumably the attempt to achieve this alignment was driven by some common change agent affecting spelling and pronunciation rules because the change was implemented in Hinterzarten by multiple individuals at different times over a hundred plus year period. In the end, the transformation was universal and permanent.  

01-22-2016:

The specific project goals were revised and updated to better reflect the emerging analysis of the genealogical data which has been acquired or otherwise has been made available to the project since its’ inception. 

While the specific goals have been revised, the overarching goal remains unchanged.

While, the project has still to research many village records and their STEIERT lines, several results appear to be emerging: 

1. Most, if not all such lines appear to be traceable ultimately to Hinterzarten. 

2.  The STEIERT surname is a transformation of the STEINHARDT surname. The transformation is a change in spelling and not a name change. 

3.  This transformation appears to only have happened in Hinterzarten, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald.

As more records are examined, new information may cause us to revise these results. But for now, the revised goals are intended to provide the best focus onevaluating the validity of these emerging results.

02-08-2015:

The initial project descriptions were launched