"Adopted" Annises
In the course of my research on the Annis surname, and derivations, I have discovered many families who have adopted the name Annis as a substitute for their original family name. The most common reasons for this change was simply because Annis was a simpler, and more easily pronounced name, and in the case of non-English speaking nationalities, it sounded more "Americanized". This page is dedicated to the many families of Greek, Russian, Slavic, and other national origins, who have adopted our name as their own.
Enisman - Annis
Harry Enisman was born in Russia in 1900, married Sofie Bergan of Poland, and they immigrated to the United States in the 1920's. This move was probably motivated by the severe and brutal discrimination and persecution of the Eastern European Jews at that time. The young couple settled in Detroit, Michigan and began a family of three sons, Melvin (1930), Byron (1937) and Sheldon (1944). In about 1943 or 1944, Sofie, seeking to an anglicize the family name, appropriated the Annis name from the Annis Fur Co. sign in downtown Detroit. The family and it's descendants carry the name to the present day. With hard work and intelligence the family was successful and the sons of Harry and Sofie became, and still are, respected businessmen, authors, and medical men.
Melvin F. Annis, born in Detroit in 1930, is founder and CEO of The Annis Group, Inc., Detroit, MI. According to the Annis Group web site:
The Annis Group Inc.
Paving the Information Superhighway
"The heart of any service organization is its people. The staff of the Annis Group has experience in most areas of information technology. Their expertise includes telecommunications, wide area networks, as well as operating systems including both Unix and Novell. Our technical communications group handles not only writing documentation, but also organizational restructuring through the use of computers. They also do extensive training in the use of both our software and various other products. Included are resumes of our senior staff who are responsible for the planning and the supervision of every engagement. In addition to our staff, we have no hesitation to out source in order to avail ourselves of the best available talent through our national network of developers and systems integrators." Copyright © 1998 The Annis Group, Inc.
Please visit their site at The Annis Group, Inc. to learn more.
Byron Annis, born in Detroit in 1937, is a medical doctor and resides in Michigan.
Sheldon Annis, born in Detroit on October 13, 1944, is an author and professor at Boston University. He graduated from Wayne State (Detroit), received his Master's and Doctorate degrees from the University of Chicago. He married Barbara Knowles in Detroit on May 14, 1971 and they have three daughters, Molly, Pearl, and Rose. The family resides in Marblehead, MA.
Anniskeirch - Annis
Barbara Jean Annis of Springfield, MA writes: "Our last name Annis was shortened by my great grandfather, from Anniskeirch.". Barbara is 39, self employed in a cleaning/decorating service and is the daughter of Frederick Adam and Rita Theresa Annis. She has one brother, Frederick John Annis, age 31, and one sister, Kathleen Marie (Annis) Swietek, age 36.
Annis Family Association
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