R' Chaim Ber Sterling

See Jewish Gen marriage records for the marriage of his son Oszer Zundel Osterun to Liba Aleksandrowicz in 1863 in Bakalarzewo. Gives Oszer Zundel's mother's name as Sulka and his father's name as Chaim. His son, Nota (Nathan)'s marriage records from Bakalarzewo in 1871 give his father's name as Chaim Berko and give his mother's name as Golda Centnerswer (sic).

Note: Centnerswer is a very rare surname with one occurence in JRI-P although Centnerszwern occurs a few times in one family in Augustow. The name is not attested in Beider's dictionary of surnames from the Russian Empire.

I would assume that his name was Chaim Dov Ber. Chaim is a name given, like "Alter," when there is danger of the child becoming ill or the parents fear the child will become ill, or the child is sickly. This is called an "apotropaic name". Ber was used as a kinnui for Issachar, Dov, Isaac, and Berechia. Since Chaim Ber Sterling had a son Isaac, his own given name was not likely Isaac.

Rosenstein (1984) left the given name of Reb Sterling blank. Thanks to Grace McElhinney, a Sterling descendant, I knew that the family also went by Osterun. Which may mean "Easterner" or could be derived from the name of a location.