Why the names “Koroch” and “Korock”?
When did some family members decide to change the spelling of the name? The Karl Korock boys of which I was the eldest survivor began experiencing difficulty in pronouncing the name Koroch ending in “ch”. Too frequently the results became uncomplimentary to say the least.

What to do? In the early twenties while attending high school in Fresno California I decided to begin using the spelling Korock. I soon learned that corrected a host of difficulties in pronouncing our name. This pattern was adopted by all of my younger brothers, so it became common usage and acceptance from then on in our sector.

Later on a few years after that I chose to add a middle name because all of my younger brothers had a middle name but not I. During my last year in high school, 1924, while I was living with Uncle David and Aunt Ida in Fresno, A gifted evangelist came to the church to hold special meetings. I took a great liking to him, so much so that I decided to use his name as my middle name. Thus was born the name of Paul Guilford Korock”.

In 1944 I decided to obtain my derivative citizenship certificate. In that document I incorporated the changes in my name, thereby legalizing the change.

A further note of interest as to names. Both my Uncle David and Samuel indicated that our name prior to settling in Russia was of some French influence and was either “Karo” or “Karou”. They had no explanation for their idea; I researched whatever records are available to the present and can find no credence to this whatsoever. My research goes back to the year 1800 at which time the name was Koroch. If the forbearers used a different name in Germany before that time I have been unable to establish any proof of that. Maybe in the future years we can determine just where in Germay our heritage originated.

Paul G. Korock
1989