Klarinet Archive - Posting 000379.txt from 1999/12

From: "David B. Niethamer" <dnietham@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] name
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 22:11:22 -0500

on 12/13/99 6:18 PM, Rien Stein wrote:

>BTW David, is your background Dutch? Your name seems to suggest so. If so do
>you know the meaning of the word "Niethamer"? Short course of Dutch: a
>"niet" or, more commonly, "nietje" is a staple, a "hamer" is a hammer, so
>"niethamer" would mean something like Staple hammer. I think in English, and
>thus probably in the language spoken in the USA (American?) it would be
>called either an Engineers hammer or a Stapler, the difference between the
>two mechanical tools mainly being of interest to mechanical engineers like
>me from my first (academic) education.

I suppose I should send this privately, but...

On my father's side (the origin of the Niethamer name) I can trace my
ancestry back to Germany in the state/province or Wurzburg (somebody will
correct my geography if I've gotten it wrong, I'm sure). This was in the
1860's or so. A German friend says (similar to you) that Niet is a rivet,
and hamer a hammer, so similar effect. He thought that at some point in
the family past, there were metal workers in the family. By the time they
got to Reading PA (USA) they were butchers. I still have a lard can with
the logo of "Niethamer & Hurst" from my great grandfather.

On my mother's side (now that I've completely bored you to death) my
grandmother arrived here from Transylvania prior to 1914 and was trapped
here by international political events. At that time, of course, it was
part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. My grandmother spoke German, and not
very much English.

I have a good collection of "Engineer jokes" if you'd like me to send
them to you off list!

Cheers! And happy holidays!

David

David Niethamer
Principal Clarinet, Richmond Symphony
dnietham@-----.edu
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/

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