Sharon, as other listers wrote it, Bürgermeister is indeed the "mayor" of a village or town in today Germany. This term was used in Alsace during the German annexion (1871-1918), but people continued to say "maire" in Alsatian dialect. In older texts, the head of a community was designated by various terms, depending on jurisdictions and time periods, with various functions. In villages: prévot, praetor, Schultheiss (scultetus), etc. In bigger towns: Ammeister (e.g. Strasbourg), Stadtvogt, Stettmeister, etc. Members of the town council were consul or senator, etc. Etienne Le 1 juil. 11 à 21:12, Sharon Waechter a écrit : > Etienne, > > Does this mean that a Burgermeister is not the same as "Mayor," but > is instead the head of a group of burgers? > > Sharon > > Sharon A Waechter, M.A./RPA

Thank you, Etienne. I always look forward to your messages, as you have much more direct knowledge of these things than most of us do. As for the Alsatian dialect - my father always told me that his Alsatian grandparents (one from Bitschhoffen, the other from Erstein) spoke "both French and German." Knowing that the Alsatian dialect includes some of each, I wonder if he was just confused about this, or if it was common in the nineteenth century for Alsatians to speak all three? Sharon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Etienne Herrbach" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, July 2, 2011 10:05:18 AM Subject: Re: [A-L] Bürgermeister Sharon, as other listers wrote it, Bürgermeister is indeed the "mayor" of a village or town in today Germany. This term was used in Alsace during the German annexion (1871-1918), but people continued to say "maire" in Alsatian dialect. In older texts, the head of a community was designated by various terms, depending on jurisdictions and time periods, with various functions. In villages: prévot, praetor, Schultheiss (scultetus), etc. In bigger towns: Ammeister (e.g. Strasbourg), Stadtvogt, Stettmeister, etc. Members of the town council were consul or senator, etc. Etienne Le 1 juil. 11 à 21:12, Sharon Waechter a écrit : > Etienne, > > Does this mean that a Burgermeister is not the same as "Mayor," but > is instead the head of a group of burgers? > > Sharon > > Sharon A Waechter, M.A./RPA -- 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 [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message