I have information to contribute to the profile of Johannes Danner. This is what I can add:
About Danner (Downer), Johannes 'John' 'Hans'
Genealogists be advised that this person and his ancestors were supplied by a single source, which cannot be verified. The various spellings of the surname are somewhat troubling in that the surname is almost always shown as Dohner in the family's first years in North America. That single source, Peter Beckendorf, notes spellings of Danner & Tanner back in Switzerland. What is interesting, however, is that I spoke with a farmer in Ontario named Dohner, who came to Canada in about the year 2000. He wanted to know why we changed our surname to Doner, and why we didn't speak German, 3 centuries after our family's arrival. His location in Switzerland matched Peter Beckendorf's analysis of Doner roots. Peter had us within 30 km of where this Dohner farm came from. The Danner/Tanner names are likely mis-spellings since before people could read and write, their lawyers etc. recorded names as the heard them and folks signed with an X. For those interested, look at the Doner Coat of Arms in the photos, which has two possible origins of the Dohner/Doner/Donar surname. The last spelling will surprise you!
According to "History of the Doner Family" by John Peter Beckendorf (Sept. 2000), Hans may be the father of the two Mennonite Danner boys, Michael and Jacob who with their widowed mother were in Conestoga, Lancaster County in 1717.
These are the sources I am using:
"History of the Doner Family" by John Peter Beckendorf (Sept. 2000)
Should I contact one of the pre-1700 projects or know about any style guidelines before proceeding? Thank you!
