Amy at Brotmanblog: A Family Journey asked how the surname Scheshko became Castle. I thought that I had explained that in a previous post, but I cannot find that I mentioned it.

After Murray and Diana moved from NYC to Michigan with their two children, Murray decided to change their last name. You can see what the petition states as to the reason. It fits exactly with what the gardener always told me about the name change.

“The name Scheshko has caused embarassment to myself and my family. People have a hard time remembering the name and a hard time pronouncing it.”

What the petition doesn’t state is how Murray arrived at the name Castle.

He picked it out of a phone book, or so the story goes.

I did “redact” the names and birth dates of the gardener and his sister from the document.

Here are the two pieces of text I removed!

at Palmer Lake, Michigan

first home after NYC, before the name change in Kalamazoo