AMERICANIZATION

During the period just after the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), when Alsace became a province of France, Johannes Wolljung, a farmer from Geisweiler, and his wife Maria Katharina Ruf gave birth on June 20, 1764 to a Michael Wolljung. This would be the first of many descendants named Michael. On May 12, at the age of 25, Michael married Eva Hamm in the Evangelische Kirche in Geisweiler. At that time, Eva, the daughter of George Hamm and Margareta Groz from Melsheim, was 21 years old. Michael and Eva had eight children, Margareta, Maria, Michael Wolljung, Anna Catharine Wolljung, Margretha, George Wolljung, Maria and Eva. Click to view the marriage record of Michael Wolljung and Eva Hamm

At some time during the emmigration process the name Wolljung was changed to Willyoung. All persons/people having this name descend from Michael Wolljung.

About the spelling of the name: In a letter written to Arthur Willyoung on January 11, 1980, Helen Willyoung reported that Arthur Kittenger Willyoung said the name was incorrectly recorded by a clerk when some member of the family (or the entire family, if they travelled as a group) came to this country (the landing point and the clerk may have been in Canada.)

Related surnames: Gass, Fowler, LeMay, Hoesli, Sargent, Miller, Wolljung, Stagg, Goodapple, Blessing