It's been pointed out to me that I made an error when I wrote:

<< > Ba`al means husband, /master /owner, Ba`alah can mean his (or her)
> master/owner--but I doubt you'd see it. >>

That statement was absolutely wrong, a slip of the keyboard, as I'd made
clear in the preceeding paragraphs.
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Ba`alah can refer to mistress/owner--but I doubt you'd *ever* see it in
that usage. I have only encountered it in the possessive form, Ba`alat
(or Bale's in Yiddish prnunciation.
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Sorry, I'd just put in too much time answering other people's gen
questions. I do nod at times, and I'm getting older.

Michael Bernet, New York

WOLFF (Pfungstadt, Frankfurt/M, Koenigsberg, Amsterdam, N.Carolina); BERNET,
BERNERT, JONDORF(Frensdorf, Bamberg, Nurnberg); FEUCHTWANGER
(Schwabach, Hagenbach & Fuerth); KONIGSHOFER (anywhere); BERG, WOLF(F),
(Demmelsdorf & Zeckendorf); Shim`on GUTENSTEIN (Bad Homburg ca 1760);
FRENSDORF/ER (anywhere); MAINZER (Lorsch); anyone in Ermreuth or Floss;
GOLDSCHMIDT (B. Homburg, Hessdorf). ALTMANN (Silesia); TIMMENDORFER