Loved your site when tracking “zeidler”. Comment on Schmidt – Yes it is often quoted as “smith”, but originally it meant a “mighty smitter” (a knight who bashed his opponents with a vengeance!) from the German word “to hit”. As a knight he wore armour and had weapons and often had to repair them. Gradually, the name came to mean a “repairer or craftsman”. In mediaeval times, the trades were quite specific; no-one was a “smith”, they were blacksmiths, tinsmiths, coppersmiths, etc.

Thanks for the site,

Mervyn