Hello,

Members of our family have always insisted that our GG Grand father was of German-Jewish origin from Frankfurt but his family had at some time in the past been named Kaufmann but for some reason later had changed their name to Schonfeld. I have found his name Schonfeld, or with various similar spelling many times on English census forms and even on his Marriage certificate dated 1851. His name as he personally wrote on this document was quite distinctly Abraham Schonfeld and his father is stated also to be Abraham Schonfeld a shoemaker from Frank-furt, probably born c1780 Could there have been some form of political or religious demand in the late 18th or early 19th century in Germany for Jewish people to have a new name. More importantly were my own Grand parents correct that we were Kaufmanns originally?

Thanks
Ray Shinfield