Sorry Sharon but he's not listed. Good Luck with your research. Charlie ----- Original Message ----- From: "Klusek, Sharon A" <sklusek@mdmercy.com> To: <alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 12:05 PM Subject: Re: [A-L] Les Militaires de 1792 - 1815 - Look-ups > > Hello, > > According to Family folk lore there was a relative with the last name > of Filliaux that served under Napoleon. The only information I have is > the last name. > > > Thanks, > Sharon > > > -----Original Message----- > From: alsace-lorraine-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:alsace-lorraine-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Charlie > Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 7:00 PM > To: alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com > Subject: [A-L] Les Militaires de 1792 - 1815 - Look-ups > > Continuation of an offer made a few years ago. > > I have in a book written in French, and for Bas-Rhin, Alsace ONLY, the > names of former soldiers, their villages and some information about > each. These soldiers served in the Army of France sometime during the > period 1792-1815, and were living at the time of this 1860 survey. The > book does not contain every living soldier . > > Soldiers that were deceased as of 1860 are therefore not included. > > If you would like me to check here's what I need: the complete name; > date of birth; and his village, if known, in 1860. > > Please avoid extra list traffic by contacting me at my e-mail address. > > Charlie > csherida@tampabay.rr.com > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hello, According to Family folk lore there was a relative with the last name of Filliaux that served under Napoleon. The only information I have is the last name. Thanks, Sharon -----Original Message----- From: alsace-lorraine-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:alsace-lorraine-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Charlie Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 7:00 PM To: alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com Subject: [A-L] Les Militaires de 1792 - 1815 - Look-ups Continuation of an offer made a few years ago. I have in a book written in French, and for Bas-Rhin, Alsace ONLY, the names of former soldiers, their villages and some information about each. These soldiers served in the Army of France sometime during the period 1792-1815, and were living at the time of this 1860 survey. The book does not contain every living soldier . Soldiers that were deceased as of 1860 are therefore not included. If you would like me to check here's what I need: the complete name; date of birth; and his village, if known, in 1860. Please avoid extra list traffic by contacting me at my e-mail address. Charlie csherida@tampabay.rr.com -- Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi, may be an answer to your question on this site : http://search.geneanet.org/result.php3?lang=en&name=leppert&place=soufflenheim&country=&source=&x=0&y=0 contact LEPPERT given name descendants specify generation (select last generation) OK --> descending list and Soufflenheim Baptism Index, 1748-1793 http://www.rootsweb.com/~fraalsac/souffbapt/index.htm Soufflenheim Death Index, 1787-1882 http://www.rootsweb.com/~fraalsac/souffdeath/index.htm Daniel ----- Original Message ----- From: "Leppert" <leppert@ix.netcom.com> To: <alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 8:30 PM Subject: [A-L] Sufflenheim > Hi, > I am new to the list just having backtracked my LEPPERT ancestors to > Sufflenheim. The family emigrated to the Ukraine in the early 1800s. > From what I have been able to determine, Johannes George LEPPERT and > Magdelaine BURGER had four children, Marguarite, Joseph, Georg, and > Ignace. The children, and possibly Magdelaine (the Ukraine records state > widow LEPPERT ) went to Kleinliebental, near Odessa, arriving at different > times between 1809 and 1820. > I was wondering if anyone was working on this line. > Thanks, > John > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi Arlene and thanks for the nice comment. Best of luck on your cataract surgery and I'll say a prayer for you. I've been digitally photographing various village films at the FHC in hopes that one day I'll be in the mood to do more transcriptions. The last couple of days I've been burning all that I have onto DVDs and it takes my computer about 70 mins. for each one. Our microfilm reader-printer is down and forever out with no used or new machine in sight - unless some patron wins the lotto and donates one. We have 4 readers and 1 is broken, one is poor and only the one I use when I can is the best to take photographs. The FHC purchased a camera so now people who never cared about filming are now doing so and that keeps me from using the machine at will. Such is life. Let me know when you can how the surgery went. And how's John? Charlie ----- Original Message ----- From: <Amcwashere@aol.com> To: <alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 7:03 PM Subject: Re: [A-L] Les Militaires de 1792 - 1815 - Look-ups > Charlie, I hope this list is aware of how valuable you are to it. Very > nice > of you to make the offer. > Having cataract surgery in the morning. Be happy to see better again. > Arlene > > > > **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy > Awards. Go to AOL Music. > (http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565) > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Charlie, I hope this list is aware of how valuable you are to it. Very nice of you to make the offer. Having cataract surgery in the morning. Be happy to see better again. Arlene **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. Go to AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)

Continuation of an offer made a few years ago. I have in a book written in French, and for Bas-Rhin, Alsace ONLY, the names of former soldiers, their villages and some information about each. These soldiers served in the Army of France sometime during the period 1792-1815, and were living at the time of this 1860 survey. The book does not contain every living soldier . Soldiers that were deceased as of 1860 are therefore not included. If you would like me to check here's what I need: the complete name; date of birth; and his village, if known, in 1860. Please avoid extra list traffic by contacting me at my e-mail address. Charlie csherida@tampabay.rr.com

In a message dated 2/11/2008 2:31:39 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, leppert@ix.netcom.com writes: The family emigrated to the Ukraine in the early 1800s. Sorry about it,here it is: German Eastern Emigrees,1763-1862 AHSGR Ships & Immigration Records: _www.odessa3.org/collections/ships_ (http://www.odessa3.org/collections/ships) Good Luck,Doris **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. Go to AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)

In a message dated 2/11/2008 2:31:39 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, leppert@ix.netcom.com writes: John There is a website where you find them emigrate in 3 different waves-timespans. Very well known. Doris. **************The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. Go to AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys?NCID=aolcmp00300000002565)

Mary, Thanks. It is the same town. I use the German spelling. Bad news for me is that according to the web site, many of the church records were destroyed in the 1790s after the French revolution. John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ing Mary" <ombones@yahoo.com> To: <alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, February 11, 2008 11:55 AM Subject: Re: [A-L] Sufflenheim/Soufflenheim > Hi, John > I don't know if your Sufflenheim is also known as Soufflenheim, but if it > is, there is a wonderful site. The members have done extensive research > of the town. > (http://members.cox.net/smithgen/places/souff/soufflenheim.htm) > I tried to find a mention of your last name - but none found. > But, I did it very quickly and there might be some information on there > for you. > Good Luck, > Mary > > > Leppert <leppert@ix.netcom.com> wrote: > Hi, > I am new to the list just having backtracked my LEPPERT ancestors to > Sufflenheim. The family emigrated to the Ukraine in the early 1800s. From > what I have been able to determine, Johannes George LEPPERT and Magdelaine > BURGER had four children, Marguarite, Joseph, Georg, and Ignace. The > children, and possibly Magdelaine (the Ukraine records state widow > LEPPERT ) went to Kleinliebental, near Odessa, arriving at different times > between 1809 and 1820. > I was wondering if anyone was working on this line. > Thanks, > John > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > --------------------------------- > Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! > Search. > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Just wanted to let you all know again that I am just tickled with finding information on my g-grandfather's horse, Proteine, from what started out as?emails about human obituaries and the links some of you mentioned, I believe, specifically Linda in Costa Rica......... Because of that, I have obtained a new insight into my greatgrandfather's personality.......i.e. this horse was such a good trotter, he gambled $10,000 on a race between her and another horse., but would not sell her for $30,000.? ?I can see where this man lived large, traveling from Cincinnati and his home based slaughterhouse business to the racing circuits in?the New York and Chicago??areas.........and enjoyed his short life -- he died at the age of 41. It has been so interesting to read about this horse, the spirit of the times back in 1878/79 and to uncover some of the personality of this Alsatian ancestor. Thank you listers! Helen in Florida ________________________________________________________________________ More new features than ever. Check out the new AOL Mail ! - http://webmail.aol.com

Hi, John I don't know if your Sufflenheim is also known as Soufflenheim, but if it is, there is a wonderful site. The members have done extensive research of the town. (http://members.cox.net/smithgen/places/souff/soufflenheim.htm) I tried to find a mention of your last name - but none found. But, I did it very quickly and there might be some information on there for you. Good Luck, Mary Leppert <leppert@ix.netcom.com> wrote: Hi, I am new to the list just having backtracked my LEPPERT ancestors to Sufflenheim. The family emigrated to the Ukraine in the early 1800s. From what I have been able to determine, Johannes George LEPPERT and Magdelaine BURGER had four children, Marguarite, Joseph, Georg, and Ignace. The children, and possibly Magdelaine (the Ukraine records state widow LEPPERT ) went to Kleinliebental, near Odessa, arriving at different times between 1809 and 1820. I was wondering if anyone was working on this line. Thanks, John -- Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.

Hi, I am new to the list just having backtracked my LEPPERT ancestors to Sufflenheim. The family emigrated to the Ukraine in the early 1800s. >From what I have been able to determine, Johannes George LEPPERT and Magdelaine BURGER had four children, Marguarite, Joseph, Georg, and Ignace. The children, and possibly Magdelaine (the Ukraine records state widow LEPPERT ) went to Kleinliebental, near Odessa, arriving at different times between 1809 and 1820. I was wondering if anyone was working on this line. Thanks, John

I live in Virginia and my family has been here for over 300 years. Virginia had many "begats" with counties, in time one county was split into another, which later became another, etc. It can get very confusing for genealogists who are not aware of all the boundary and name changes. They can be looking in County A records, when the person was born when it was County A, died when that particular area became County B, and so those records are in another county entirely. And yet the person, with records in several counties, never physically moved from the same area their entire lives. Here, we list the person's vital dates as in the named county it was WHEN that event happened. That's where the records are. I think in the Alsace Lorraine area, when a living person was trying to keep on top of political changes at the time by giving different locality names to various officials is one thing; but the fact doesn't change that they were born in a particular place when it was under control of a particular country. I think, too, that keeps it simple for future genealogists; they will know that So-and-so, born in 1742 in This Locality, it would have, AT THAT TIME, been under control of This Country. To try to go beyond that gets too confusing, in one's mind and on paper, IMO. Nancy ------- I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days. --Daniel Boone On Feb 8, 2008, at 7:42 PM, Howard Kuhn wrote: > It is not always easy to identity and properly record the country > of origin for our ancestors—especially when they are born near the > sometimes fluid borders of a country.. > > My great grandfather Nikolaus was born in a village near > Wadgassen, in what is today the German state of Saarland—but in the > not-too-distant past I believe Wadgassen was considered part of > Alsace. We have traced Nikolaus’s progenitors to the 16th century, > with much help from a generous, living German relative. The > ancestors of Nikolaus nearly all originated in a half dozen > villages surrounding Wadgassen—Friedrichsweiler, Differten, > Hostenbach, Werbeln, Schaffhausen, Ludweiler, and others. > > My question is this: In my genealogy records, what do I list as > their respective countries of origin? Germany? France? Prussia? > Do I list their district as Saarland—or Alsace—or sometimes > Rheinland? Do I have to carefully determine political control at > the time of our ancestors’ respective births and deaths? I am > guessing that there are issues of political correctness here. > > Another great grandfather, Anton, was born in Schoenenbourg, > Alsace, in 1821, and he immigrated to the U.S. about 1840. In > subsequent census reports in the United States, he would report his > country of origin as France or Prussia or Germany, depending on the > politics of the decade. (Anton also used the names Anthony and > Antoine, depending on the venue.) Do we as proper genealogists > have to do a similar dance? > > If so, we would probably have to follow this little menu (which I > frankly find burdensome): > > Political affiliations of Wadgassen and the modern state of > Saarland, Germany (in broad and general terms): > Before 1684, Germany, Holy Roman Empire > 1684-1780: France; end of Thirty Years War brings French control > 1871-1919: Prussia; end of Franco-Prussian War brings German > rule > 1919-1935: France; settlement after World War I reverts land > to French control > 1935-1945: Germany; formation of Third Reich; World War II > 1945-1957: France; settlement after World War II brings > degree of French control > 1957-2008: Germany; plebiscite actually creates a state > called Saarland, with German control > > To repeat: how do I properly list the country of origin for the > progenitors of Nikolaus and Anton? I suppose I should know the > answer, but I don’t. > > Americans face the same problem when ancestors originate in > Fayette County, Virginia—prior to the Civil War—and later ancestors > originate in Fayette County, West Virginia—and all are born in the > same community of Fayetteville. And we face the same problem for > families with some ancestors who were born in the Dakota Territory, > and the somewhat later descendants who may have been born in the > same community which later becomes a city in North Dakota. When we > create our genealogical records, do we have to do the same > manipulation of geographical names in these cases, too? > > I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter. > Howard Kuhn, hkuhn38@yahoo.com > > > --------------------------------- > Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. > Try it now. > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ALSACE- > LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Howard, My home area is western Pennsylvania. As you go back through the history of my county it was originally claimed to be part of the Virginia Colony. Records of early settlers of much of western Pennsylvania are in the Virginia records. After which it was part of other counties before the current boundaries. Other counties have a similar history. You mentioned the towns around Wadgassen. Do you have the ortssippenbucher that have been published for that area? (3 volumes by Josef Burg and Otto Treinen) Also the one for Großrosseln and Kleinrosseln (Petite Rosselle) (1 volume by Josef Schwarz) where some of the people moved. I have both. I see a Nikolaus KUHN, a zimmermann from Schaffhausen, m. Margarethe SCHUSTER with 3 children. At 02:00 AM 2/11/2008, you wrote: >From: Howard Kuhn <hkuhn38@yahoo.com> >Subject: [A-L] Same family, same community--but changing borders, > changing countries of origin >To: Roots Web interest group Alsace Lorraine > <alsace-lorraine@rootsweb.com> > >It is not always easy to identity and properly >record the country of origin for our >ancestors?especially when they are born near the >sometimes fluid borders of a country.. > > My great grandfather Nikolaus was born in a > village near Wadgassen, in what is today the > German state of Saarland?but in the > not-too-distant past I believe Wadgassen was > considered part of Alsace. We have traced > Nikolaus?s progenitors to the 16th century, > with much help from a generous, living German > relative. The ancestors of Nikolaus nearly all > originated in a half dozen villages surrounding > Wadgassen?Friedrichsweiler, Differten, > Hostenbach, Werbeln, Schaffhausen, Ludweiler, and others. >... > Americans face the same problem when > ancestors originate in Fayette County, > Virginia?prior to the Civil War?and later > ancestors originate in Fayette County, West > Virginia?and all are born in the same community > of Fayetteville. And we face the same problem > for families with some ancestors who were born > in the Dakota Territory, and the somewhat later > descendants who may have been born in the same > community which later becomes a city in North > Dakota. When we create our genealogical > records, do we have to do the same manipulation > of geographical names in these cases, too? > > I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter. > Howard Kuhn, hkuhn38@yahoo.com

On Friday 08 February 2008 4:42:13 pm Howard Kuhn wrote: > It is not always easy to identity and properly record the country of origin > for our ancestors—especially when they are born near the sometimes fluid > borders of a country.. ::snip:: > If so, we would probably have to follow this little menu (which I frankly > find burdensome): > > Political affiliations of Wadgassen and the modern state of Saarland, > Germany (in broad and general terms): Before 1684, Germany, Holy Roman > Empire > 1684-1780: France; end of Thirty Years War brings French control > 1871-1919: Prussia; end of Franco-Prussian War brings German rule > 1919-1935: France; settlement after World War I reverts land to > French control 1935-1945: Germany; formation of Third Reich; World War II > 1945-1957: France; settlement after World War II brings degree of > French control 1957-2008: Germany; plebiscite actually creates a state > called Saarland, with German control > > To repeat: how do I properly list the country of origin for the > progenitors of Nikolaus and Anton? I suppose I should know the answer, but > I don’t. ::snip:: In general, you want to cite where the records would be found. So if you are reading birth records in German, I think you'll find that the village was in German hands -- if not in Germany itself. When you see the records in French, you'll cite the French village name or wherever the record-creator was -- canton, kries, diocese, etc. For your reading audience, you might also make a note of what the locality is called now. See Evidence! Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian by Elizabeth Shown Mills, or her more recent volume (which I have on order). It is important to cite properly in order to do the necessary analysis of the evidence you have. It isn't a burden -- it frees you. It is absolutely crucial to properly cite localities in the US, since records stay with the original county, but if you go visit graveyards, etc. you will need to modern designation. European records most often are created at the village level, and stay there no matter who runs the area as a whole. Still, properly citing will help lead you to more record sources, if you are lucky. :-) Valorie

Etienne, This is very interesting. thank you. I didn't know the connection of Saint Valentine with healing epilepsy. In the time I mentioned, there were quite a number with the given name Valentin in Niederroedern and in my family they were Lutheran. Hmm? Gloria On 2 10, 2008, at 7:10 PM, Etienne HERRBACH wrote: > > Gloria and all listers, > > > Valentin (feminine Valentine) does exist in Alsace, but is not very > common. The > surname VALENTIN also occurs. Only one Catholic parish church is > dedicated > to this saint: Attenschwiller, near the Swiss border, not from from > Basel. > > In Medieval hagiotherapy (i.e. Catholic saints supposed to heal > specific > diseases), saint Valentin was associated to epilepsy. The reason why > seems to > be the homology between the German pronounciation ("Fallentin") and > "fallende > Krankheit" (litt. "falling disease") designating epilepsy. > > In Rouffach there was a small convent called "prieuré Saint Valentin" > were many > people suffering from this disease and other similar disorders came as > pilgrims > with the hope to heal. I have found a trace of this pilgrimage as far > as in > Allgäu, Bavaria. The convent disappeared after the 1789 Revolution. > In 1909, > when the authorities looked for a site where to build the psychiatric > hospital > for the Departement haut-Rhin, they chose Rouffach - however for other > reasons > than the past convent. > > Source: G. LESER, Rouffach, de l'asile au centre hospitalier, 90 ans de > psychiatrie, 1999. > > Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! > > Etienne > > > > > > > > -- > Resources for Alsace-Lorraine list members: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~valorie/Alsace-Lorraine-L.htm > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > ALSACE-LORRAINE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message Domaine de Curé Luxury Gîtes (vacation apartments) in centuries old farmhouse near Carcassonne, France Jean-Noël Ishida and Agathe Moréchand-Ishida http://www.domaine-cure.com/

Gloria and all listers, Valentin (feminine Valentine) does exist in Alsace, but is not very common. The surname VALENTIN also occurs. Only one Catholic parish church is dedicated to this saint: Attenschwiller, near the Swiss border, not from from Basel. In Medieval hagiotherapy (i.e. Catholic saints supposed to heal specific diseases), saint Valentin was associated to epilepsy. The reason why seems to be the homology between the German pronounciation ("Fallentin") and "fallende Krankheit" (litt. "falling disease") designating epilepsy. In Rouffach there was a small convent called "prieuré Saint Valentin" were many people suffering from this disease and other similar disorders came as pilgrims with the hope to heal. I have found a trace of this pilgrimage as far as in Allgäu, Bavaria. The convent disappeared after the 1789 Revolution. In 1909, when the authorities looked for a site where to build the psychiatric hospital for the Departement haut-Rhin, they chose Rouffach - however for other reasons than the past convent. Source: G. LESER, Rouffach, de l'asile au centre hospitalier, 90 ans de psychiatrie, 1999. Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! Etienne > Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2008 20:58:38 +0900 > From: Gloria Ishida <gfb-ishida@gol.com> > > With St. Valentine's Day approaching, I'm wondering if Etienne or Ewald > could throw any light on why so many Alsatian men in the late 17th and > 18th centuries were name "Valentin"? There were many in my family and > connected families. > > Gloria I

With St. Valentine's Day approaching, I'm wondering if Etienne or Ewald could throw any light on why so many Alsatian men in the late 17th and 18th centuries were name "Valentin"? There were many in my family and connected families. Gloria I =========================================== Domaine de Curé Luxury Gîtes (vacation apartments) in centuries old farmhouse near Carcassonne, France Jean-Noël Ishida and Agathe Moréchand-Ishida http://www.domaine-cure.com/

It is not always easy to identity and properly record the country of origin for our ancestors—especially when they are born near the sometimes fluid borders of a country.. My great grandfather Nikolaus was born in a village near Wadgassen, in what is today the German state of Saarland—but in the not-too-distant past I believe Wadgassen was considered part of Alsace. We have traced Nikolaus’s progenitors to the 16th century, with much help from a generous, living German relative. The ancestors of Nikolaus nearly all originated in a half dozen villages surrounding Wadgassen—Friedrichsweiler, Differten, Hostenbach, Werbeln, Schaffhausen, Ludweiler, and others. My question is this: In my genealogy records, what do I list as their respective countries of origin? Germany? France? Prussia? Do I list their district as Saarland—or Alsace—or sometimes Rheinland? Do I have to carefully determine political control at the time of our ancestors’ respective births and deaths? I am guessing that there are issues of political correctness here. Another great grandfather, Anton, was born in Schoenenbourg, Alsace, in 1821, and he immigrated to the U.S. about 1840. In subsequent census reports in the United States, he would report his country of origin as France or Prussia or Germany, depending on the politics of the decade. (Anton also used the names Anthony and Antoine, depending on the venue.) Do we as proper genealogists have to do a similar dance? If so, we would probably have to follow this little menu (which I frankly find burdensome): Political affiliations of Wadgassen and the modern state of Saarland, Germany (in broad and general terms): Before 1684, Germany, Holy Roman Empire 1684-1780: France; end of Thirty Years War brings French control 1871-1919: Prussia; end of Franco-Prussian War brings German rule 1919-1935: France; settlement after World War I reverts land to French control 1935-1945: Germany; formation of Third Reich; World War II 1945-1957: France; settlement after World War II brings degree of French control 1957-2008: Germany; plebiscite actually creates a state called Saarland, with German control To repeat: how do I properly list the country of origin for the progenitors of Nikolaus and Anton? I suppose I should know the answer, but I don’t. Americans face the same problem when ancestors originate in Fayette County, Virginia—prior to the Civil War—and later ancestors originate in Fayette County, West Virginia—and all are born in the same community of Fayetteville. And we face the same problem for families with some ancestors who were born in the Dakota Territory, and the somewhat later descendants who may have been born in the same community which later becomes a city in North Dakota. When we create our genealogical records, do we have to do the same manipulation of geographical names in these cases, too? I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter. Howard Kuhn, hkuhn38@yahoo.com --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

In a message dated 2/7/2008 11:56:15 PM Pacific Standard Time, shirleyh_1@juno.com writes: If there is anyone out there that would have information about the Serve and their origins, I would love to hear from you. I know that there are other Serve families out there as I see the name every now and then. I am descended from an Anna Serva, daughter of Hans Serva, who came from Pfalzweyer in northern Alsace in the mid-1600's. While there is no guarantee, the similarity of surnames and the spelling differences that were common in a time of limited knowledge of reading and writing make it a good possibility Serve and Serva are the same family. You might also want to check geneanet under that spelling. Gilbert von Studnitz **************Biggest Grammy Award surprises of all time on AOL Music. (http://music.aol.com/grammys/pictures/never-won-a-grammy?NCID=aolcmp003000000025 48)