I thank you all for your advice. I did some internet search. Borg is located 5 km northeast of Perl and 11 KM southwest of Nennig on the River Mosel. The nearby Roman Villa Borg is one of the Saarland's most important archaeological sites. Borg is first mentioned in 1569 as being part of Parish Perl, excavations show that there were much earlier settlements. The parish church dates from 1728. Over the years it belonged to St. Alban's Charterhouse in Trier, to the diosceses of Metz and Trier, and to the Duchy of Luxembourg. The majority of my German ancestors immigrated between 1850 and 1875 to the US. Some US records say they are from Germany some from Prussia. My recollection is that they said they were from Trier area, Mosel River area, and Alsace-Lorraine area. I guess when you live near a country's border our ancestors saw many changes. With the borders of the Elsass-Lothringen northern borders of Begium, Luxembourg, and the German State of Saarland and with Borg 11 miles from the Moselle River and close to the point where Luxembourg, France and Germany meet Borg must have a rich history being it is for most part a border town. Thanks again, Alice Ralph Taylor wrote: > Re: "For many years I had always thought my fathers fathers side of the > family came from the Alsace-Lorraine area located in Germany near Trier and > the Moselle River ... Is it still correct to say my father's father's > German ancestors came from Alsace-Lorraine area?" > > Alsace (Elszass in German) and Lorraine (Lothringen) were created when -- a > very long time ago -- Charlemagne willed the territories to two of his sons. > They have been mostly separate since that time. IMO, lumping them together > into one "Alsace-Lorraine" obscures their individual identities and rich > histories. > > We need to take account of the most significant geographical feature, the > gigantic Rhine River. It forms the northern border of Lorraine and the > northern and part of the eastern borders of Alsace. The significance of the > Rhine River barrier is demonstrated by the fact that Caesar's conquest of > Gaul (France) was stopped there. > > Germany did not exist as a nation (perhaps, as a state of mind) until > unified by Prussia in the late 19th century. After fragmentation of the Holy > Roman Empire, what we now call Germany was an ever-changing grab-bag of > principalities, bishoprics, free cities, dukedoms, etc. What with > aristocratic marriage dowries, inheritances, debt settlements, wars and such > the little states were traded around from one noble house to another. So > before then, we can talk about a Germanic language and Germanic culture, but > not a country. > > Alsace and Lorraine were under Prussian (thus German) control from the > Franco-Prussian War until World War I. So, if your ancestor was describing > the area in 1900, he might have used the term Germany; but it would not have > been accurate in 1826 or in the 1700s. > > As to Borg in present-day Saarland, I think you'll have to look up its > specific history to identify who it belonged to when. > > -rt_/) > > >