It seems there was a name change somewhere along the Dickhaut lineage. This change might have begun with the descendants of William Dickhaut’s brother, Herman. Interestingly, William himself didn’t use his father’s surname, Dickhaut, but instead adopted his step-father’s surname, Lieberknecht.
Lieberknecht is my mother’s paternal line since William Dickhaut Lieberknecht was her father. Her birth certificate lists her surname as Lieb, a nickname William used. Friends and even his partner, Florence, called him Lieb, not Bill or William.
Was William embarrassed by the Dickhaut name? He did use it on one marriage record, indicating it was his father’s name. His sister, Agnes, also listed it as her father’s surname on her marriage record. His brother Herman mostly used the surname Dickhaut.
I have DNA matches with individuals named Dickhart and Deckhart. The Dickhart match is a confirmed descendant of Herman, while the Deckhart match is less certain and unconfirmed.
