My maternal grandma had among her siblings two sisters who married two brothers. The brothers had the surname Ellner. The two I knew were rough old farmers. Catholic.
I got a message today from someone of the Ellner name. A Catholic priest. He was asking a question but also gave me some history of the Ellners. They were all originally Ashkenazi Jews. I would never in a million years have associated Clarence and Herbert with Judaism. My impression is they were barely Catholic!
Fascinating.
I was helping a friend with her family history. Some geographical locations & time frames made me suspect her people were Jews fleeing pre-WWII Germany. She said oh no. Never heard of any Jewish people in the family. Fast forward. Her grand aunt dies. Friend inherits some stuff. One item is an old rolled up family tree. Listed was a line who didn't escape Bavaria & who later died in the concentration camps. Hidden for so many years but written right there in plain sight.
@Agatha At least that's what this Ellner person seemed to be saying. Dunno.
@poemblaze
Oooo way back. Likely they didn't have much choice.