LAUTERMILCH SURNAMES OF MANY
SPELLINGS:  ONE LARGE FAMILY!

by Max K. Lowdermilk

A quiet stroll through the Pleasant Hill Cemetery of the United Methodist Church near Seagrove, North Carolina reveals several spellings of the original Lautermilch family name.  These include:  Mary Myers wife of Jacob Lautermilch born in Switzerland, died July 10, 1805; Jacob Laudermilck husband of Mary Myers; Mary Elliott, wife of John Lautermilch died in 1808 and John Lowdermilk, son of Jacob and Mary Lautermilch; Reuben Harris Lawdermilk born 1838 and died in 1906; Alfred Loudermilk a brother of Reuben Harris born 1829 and died in 1910 and the predominate Lowdermilk group.   This is not unusual given the complex German name, "Lautermilch", widespread illiteracy and clerks writing it as it sounded to them.  Also in some legal papers, the name of the same individual is often spelled in two or three different ways.

"Lautermilch" is of Germanic or Swiss origin.  It is clear that "lauter" means "pure", "clear", or "whole".   In the areas where our Lautermilch ancestors lived, i.e. Michelfeld, Kirchardt, Sinsheim, Daisbach and Reihen, Germany, there are many small rivers and streams with the name "lauter" referring to the purity of the water.  In German the prefix "lauter" is used as in "pure milk", "pure water", "pure wine", etc.  There are also family names in German other than "Lautermilch" with "Lauter" such as Lauterbach, Lautermann, Lauterstein, Lauterbrunner, Lauterfeld, Lauterborn, etc.  Lautermilch which can be translated "pure milk" could have evolved from various sources related to dairy farming, selling milk, etc.

As one reviews old court and deed records, one finds many diverse and varied ways our ancestors spelled their own names.  In this age of automation where we are named, numbered, cataloged and indexed by government and private computers, it is at first difficult to comprehend why our Lautermilch ancestors' surnames were spelled in so many different ways.  Elsdon C. Smith ¹, in his publication AMERICAN SURNAMES, explains it this way:  "What is today spelled in just one way had many origins among peoples the great majority of whom were illiterate.  Even educated men spelled as fancy dictated at the moment.  The influx of names into the United States from non-British sources.... forced the wide extension of the legal rule of idem sonas, which provides that a slight variation in the spelling of a name is immaterial if both modes of spelling have approximately the same sound.  Names that sound alike are the same although spelled differently.  The law regards the sound more than the spelling.

American courts, thoroughout the history of the United States have upheld this doctrine and ruled that couplets such as "Lowdermilk", "Laudermilch", "Loudermilk", "Laudermilk", etc. etc. are indeed the same name.  Several years ago at a Lowdermilk Reunion near Seagrove, North Carolina, it was stated that there are five different spellings.  Recently we have identified 15 different spellings in USA telephone directories.  These include:   Lautermilch, Lautermilche, Laudermilch, Loudermilch, Lodermilk, Louthermilk, Lowdermilk, Loudermilk, Laudermilk, Lawdermilk, Lawdermilt, Loudermilt, Loudermelt, Loudermill and Laudermilt.  In addition Jacab Lautermilch's name is spelled "Lautermilche", "Lodermilk", "Lautermilch" and "Louthermilk" in land deeds and tax records in Randolph County, North Carolina in the years of 1989 and 1990.  More than likely there are others awaiting discovery.   There are good reasons for each of the above spellings.  Some of the origins of these different spellings are explained in this note.

"Lautermilch" is the original name because in Germany one does not find another spelling.  In present day German Telephone directories there are 39 listings of "Lautermilch" names.  "Lautermilche" is an error made by some family researchers because it simply means the Lautermilches in German i.e. a plural possessive for "Lautermilch".

"Lautermilch" appears on most ship lists but "Laudermilch" also appears on the ship SS Mary list of passengers on September 26, 1732.  Rupp² who places an * asterisk by those names on his ships' lists which were written by clerks.  He concluded that "the printed list of names made for the Legislature does not present the true orthography (spellings) of one-half the autographs or the names written by qualified persons themselves." ³

The spelling "Laudermilch" was quickly accepted in Pennsylvania because the hard "t" sound in German sounds like a "d".   Evidently the "Laudermilch" spelling prevailed because today in USA telephone directories there are 135 "Loudermilch" names listed and only 35 "Lautermilch" names.. It is interesting that there are 27 "Lautermilch" names in the Canada telephone directories and no "Laudermilch" names.  An interesting hypothesis is that the Lautermilch families in Canada are related to those early Lautermilchs who pledged their allegiance to the Crown of England and declared themselves Tories near the time of the War of Independence.  It was a common practice for those migrating to the USA to pledge their allegiance to the King or Queen of England before the ships left Great Britain.   "Upon arrival in America, the Ship Master, Captain or the Commander presented a list of all passengers over 16 years of age.  This list of people had their occupations and the places from which they came as well as a statement of their intentions for coming.  They made a declaration for allegiance and subjection to the Ruler of Great Britain and fidelity to the Proprietary of this Province and that they will demean themselves peacebly toward all his Majesty's subjects and observe and conform to the Laws of England and the Government of Pennsylvania." (See Rupp, page 39).  This theory about the Lautermilch families in Canada having been faithful Tories is now being investigated.

Linda Smith Church 4 writes that her mother's maiden name is Loudermilk and that the spelling changed to "Loudermilk" about 1750.   She states that is some of the census studies of the area that the spelling is "Lodermilk".  She further states that the original name was "Lautermilch".

Melanie Atkins 5  of College Station, Texas who traces her line to Valentine Lautermilch states that the name switches back and forth between "Lowdermilk" and "Loudermilk" between Caldwell County, North Carolina and Habersham County, Georgia.  "It settled down to "Loudermilk" in later generations in Chambers County, Alabama and Chatham County, Georgia.

A well known change from Lowdermilk to Loudermilk took place in the William Lowdermilk and Utha Cole family.  A son, Stephen, with brothers, Elliott and Jacob left Randolph County and their family over a dispute about slavery.   The three brothers traveled West with several freed slaves.  The spellings of these freed men and women was changed to "Loudermilk".  At the Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church Cemetery near Seagrove one finds the grave site of Alfred and his wife Sarah with the spelling "Loudermilk".  So the spellings of the original Lautermilch family name changes with times and situations.

"Lowdermilk" changes to "Laudermilk" after Steve Pond Lowdermilk who was born April, 1815 in Bedford County, Tennessee.   This family group used "Laudermilk".

Jacob Lautermilch's name is spelled "Lautermilche", "Loudermilk" and "Lodermilk" in Randolph County, N.C. tax records and land deeds in 1779.  In the 1790 Randolph County, N.C. Tax records "Lodermilk" is used and on March 30, 1789 in a bill of sale where Jacob purchased 200 acres of land on crooked Creek, N.C. the spelling "Louthermilk" is used.

"Loudermilk" was changed to "Loudermilt" because there were relatives with various spellings of the family name.  Keith Loudermilt 6 reports that this change was made by his grandmother.  Keith Loudermilt also states that his line goes back to a Jocob Lautermilch.

Ken Loudermill7 states that his grand parents were "Loudermilk" but due to a long term mail mix up between Loudermilk relatives the name was changed by his grand mother, Zela Moore Loudermilk.  They lived on the Loudermilk/Mill Farm so the name became "Loudermill".

The information provided is adequate at this time to show that there have been many different spellings of our Lautermilch family name through the years.  It would appear that the Lowdermilk Reunion which is held annually at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church might consider extending invitations to some of their cousins who spell their family names somewhat different from "Lowdermilk".   After all, Jacob Lautermilch and Mary Myers are the ancestors of many Lautermilchs whatever the spelling.

A Table is provided in the appendix of the present locations of "Lautermilch" and derived families living in the USA in the year 2000.  These data are from the Yahoo "People Search" program.  Note the area of the USA where most of the people with different spellings of their family names live today.  Note that about 75 percent of the Lautermilch families are still living in the State of Pennsylvania where they first settled.  It is also interesting that of all the Lowdermilks in the USA today, about 35 percent still reside in the state of North Carolina.  The "Laudermilks" are primarily in Texas.  Note that all five of the "Loudermilts" are located in Statesville, North Carolina.   We are told that presently there is no male offspring to carry on the family name.

So wherever you meet persons from any of the spellings derived from the original "Lautermilch", you may just be meeting another cousin!

(Prepared for the Lowdermilk Reunion, October 15, 2000 by Dr. Max K. Lowdermilk, Fort Collins, Colorado 80521.  Please contact him if you know of other spellings.  The e-mail address is mkmax03@aol.com and the phone number is (970)493-7390 in the Summer months and (480)354-4032 during the Winter months from November.)

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¹ Smith, Elsdon C. AMERICAN SURNAMES (add the publisher and date)
² Rupp, Daniel, A COLLECTION OF THIRTY THOUSAND NAMES OF German, Swiss, Dutch, French and other Immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1727 to 1776, Genealogical Publishing Company Inc., Baltimore, Maryland, 1775.
³ Rupp, op cit. page 40.
4 Linda Smith Church, May 10, 1999 from Mt. Airy, Georgia, email address:  lchurch@habersham.k12.ga.us (Linda S. Church)
5 Melanie Atkins, July 11, 1999 at "Rodger Atkins < ratkins@myriad.net >
6 Keith Loudermilt, June 25, 2000...(PT Loudermilt" Trish@I-america.net
7 Ken Loudermill, March 7, 1999... (KLouder884@aol.com)