Sharon, The way I understand it, the Burgermeister was both a citizen and the mayor. I am sure that Etienne will correct me if I am mistaken!! :) Linda in Costa Rica Monroe County, New York Genealogy http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~monroenys Monroe County, New York History http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~monroenys -----Original Message----- From: Sharon Waechter Sent: Friday, 01 July, 2011 1:12 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [A-L] Married Burgers? 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 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Etienne Herrbach" <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, July 1, 2011 10:04:13 AM Subject: Re: [A-L] Married Burgers? Hello Pat and listers, civium et conjugum = literally, burgers and a couple Before the French Revolution, there were two kinds of inhabitants of a community: the "bourgeois" (Bürger, civis) and the "manants" (Hintersäß, incola). (The vagabonds (vagabundus) were still another category). The bourgeois had more rights than a manant, such as participating to a corporation, etc. (but I'm not much aware to this topic). If I remember well, he had to pay a fee prior to be admitted into the "bourgeoisie". Some towns possess old registers called "admission à la bourgeoisie" (Bürgerbuch), that existed sometimes long before the onset of parish registers. The Revolution abolished these differences. Every inhabitant bacame then a "citoyen" (citizen). Etienne