To answer your question, no. A more detailed answer below. Etienne and Ewald will probably correct me, and give a better answer. But here goes anyway. Alsace and Lorraine are, and for all practical purposes always have been separate (not strictly true). Alsace is a conglomeration of many small fiefdoms. Parts have been added and subtracted over the years. The respective parts have changed hands from one dynasty to the next and within one dynasty. Lines changed and re-changed, and re-changed again. Alsace was predominantly a Germanic speaking region. Lorraine spoke different dialects, some more closely related to French. If you want to really generalize. I can hardly do justice to the diversity in the region in a short email. And besides, I'm hardly qualified to lecture on the subject. Rettel is in Moselle in the Lorraine region today. Depending on how far back you want to count Lorraine extended up into modern day Belgium and the Netherlands. It would have included at least part of Saarland and the Rhineland-Pfalz. Trier and Bitburg, et al were within the bounds of Lorraine (Lotharingia). Once upon a time. Lorraine shrunk repeatedly over time. But by the 14th Century, all bets are off. Nor was the Rhine always a dividing line. There really is no short, easy way to describe this volatile region. Brian On Tue, July 5, 2011 8:24 pm, Alice wrote: > Have the BORDERS of Alsace-Lorraine stayed the same through-out the > years? I realize it has gone back and forth between France and Germany > and now it's part of France. For some reason I had always thought my > fathers side of the family came from the Alsace-Lorraine region. > However, my fathers side of the family were German speaking and came > from the Trier area of, Borg, Orscholz, Eft, and Bitburg. Were they > part of Alsace- Lorraine during the 1700s and 1800s? Is Rettel, France > part of Alsace-Lorraine now? > > Thanks, > > Alice > > > Etienne Herrbach wrote: >> Hello Michelle, >> >> welcome in Alsace (not Alscase...) >> >> Otherwise, it's (almost) correct: commune / canton / arrondissement / >> département / région >> >> - Croethwiller >> - Reimerswiller merged into Betschdorf in 1972. >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betschdorf >> >> Etienne >> >> >> >> Le 3 juil. 11 à 13:51,<[email protected]> >> <[email protected] >> > a écrit : >> >> >>> I need some help with Alsace place names. I want to make sure I get >>> the >>> jurisdictions correct. I normally work with US and German place >>> names and >>> this is a new area for me. >>> >>> Betschdorf, Soultz-sous-Forêts, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alscace, France >>> Drachenbronn-Birlenbach, Soultz-sous-Forêts, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, >>> Alscace, >>> France >>> Lobsann, Soultz-sous-Forêts, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alscace, France >>> Memmelshoffen, Soultz-sous-Forêts, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alscace, >>> France >>> Cröthwiller, Seltz, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alscace, France >>> Reimerswiller, Soultz-sous-Forêts, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alscace, >>> France >>> (I am not sure about this one. I see it on the map but the internet >>> will >>> not tell me what jurisdiction it is in) >>> >>> Michele Lewis, Staff Genealogy >>> McDuffie Mirror >>> Thomson, McDuffie Co, GA >>> >> >> > > > -- > 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 > >

That area has also been held by the Romans. There's a over 2000 yr old Church in Trier and there is a cobbled street area not open to cars it was all held by the Romans. I was there in 1985-87 I loved the street musicians and artists They draw in chalk on the street and there are no sidewalks. They have tables outside so you can see everthing going on.. fabiolus! Nelda Nelda http://freepages.folklore.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bonsteinandgilpin/

Thanks for your explanation. 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. To be more exact, they were primarily from Borg in the 1700's and 1800s and even the 1900s. Borg is in Germany near the Luxembourg, France, and Belgium borders. Some ancestors lived in Orscholz, Germany. My great grandmother came from Rettel, France which was near the Moselle River and Borg, Germany. My grandfather and great grand parents immigrated to the US in the 1870's. Question: Is it still correct to say my father's father's German ancestors came from Alsace-Lorraine area? That is how I had identified my German roots. I realize Borg is in Saarland, Germany now but was it ever part of France since it is near the border? I guess I'm trying to picture, visualize the part of Europe, Germany, France my fathers fathers ancestors came from and their customs, language and life style. Its a part I identify with most. The Alsace-Lorraine area does have such a rich history going back to the Romans. I understand their is a Roman Villa near Borg. I have a short incomplete Biological Sketch from a Wisconsin paper that says a John Simon born 1826 came to America in 1840 was from Lorraine, Germany. I believe he's my grandmother's, sister's, father-in-law. I don't know the town in Germany he was from. I think he must have identified with Alsace-Lorraine area. But, my grandfather met my grandmother in the US, her side of the family is from Bacharach, Henschhausen,Oberheimbach, Prussia near the Rhein River. What is interesting regarding these separate Germany families is: The German families that live near the Moselle River and France have short last names and the townes such as Borg, Bitburg, Orscholz all have fewer syllables. Occupation: Wagon maker. Catholic. Compare to another side of my German relatives who lived in Bacharach, Henschhausen and Oberheimbachnear near the Rhein River, they as well as the townes had longer names with more syllables and had a more German sounding name. Occupation; Music teacher. Most were probably Catholic? Even though these two family groups all come from Germany they seem to have different type of names, location, occupation and maybe religion.. The history is interesting. Alice [email protected] wrote: > To answer your question, no. > > A more detailed answer below. > > Etienne and Ewald will probably correct me, and give a better answer. But > here goes anyway. > > Alsace and Lorraine are, and for all practical purposes always have been > separate (not strictly true). Alsace is a conglomeration of many small > fiefdoms. Parts have been added and subtracted over the years. The > respective parts have changed hands from one dynasty to the next and > within one dynasty. Lines changed and re-changed, and re-changed again. > > Alsace was predominantly a Germanic speaking region. Lorraine spoke > different dialects, some more closely related to French. If you want to > really generalize. I can hardly do justice to the diversity in the region > in a short email. And besides, I'm hardly qualified to lecture on the > subject. > > Rettel is in Moselle in the Lorraine region today. > > Depending on how far back you want to count Lorraine extended up into > modern day Belgium and the Netherlands. It would have included at least > part of Saarland and the Rhineland-Pfalz. Trier and Bitburg, et al were > within the bounds of Lorraine (Lotharingia). Once upon a time. Lorraine > shrunk repeatedly over time. > > But by the 14th Century, all bets are off. Nor was the Rhine always a > dividing line. There really is no short, easy way to describe this > volatile region. > > Brian > > On Tue, July 5, 2011 8:24 pm, Alice wrote: > >> Have the BORDERS of Alsace-Lorraine stayed the same through-out the >> years? I realize it has gone back and forth between France and Germany >> and now it's part of France. For some reason I had always thought my >> fathers side of the family came from the Alsace-Lorraine region. >> However, my fathers side of the family were German speaking and came >> from the Trier area of, Borg, Orscholz, Eft, and Bitburg. Were they >> part of Alsace- Lorraine during the 1700s and 1800s? Is Rettel, France >> part of Alsace-Lorraine now? >> >> Thanks, >> >> Alice >> >> >> Etienne Herrbach wrote: >> >>> Hello Michelle, >>> >>> welcome in Alsace (not Alscase...) >>> >>> Otherwise, it's (almost) correct: commune / canton / arrondissement / >>> département / région >>> >>> - Croethwiller >>> - Reimerswiller merged into Betschdorf in 1972. >>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betschdorf >>> >>> Etienne >>> >>> >>> >>> Le 3 juil. 11 à 13:51,<[email protected]> >>> <[email protected] >>> > a écrit : >>> >>> >>> >>>> I need some help with Alsace place names. I want to make sure I get >>>> the >>>> jurisdictions correct. I normally work with US and German place >>>> names and >>>> this is a new area for me. >>>> >>>> Betschdorf, Soultz-sous-Forêts, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alscace, France >>>> Drachenbronn-Birlenbach, Soultz-sous-Forêts, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, >>>> Alscace, >>>> France >>>> Lobsann, Soultz-sous-Forêts, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alscace, France >>>> Memmelshoffen, Soultz-sous-Forêts, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alscace, >>>> France >>>> Cröthwiller, Seltz, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alscace, France >>>> Reimerswiller, Soultz-sous-Forêts, Wissembourg, Bas-Rhin, Alscace, >>>> France >>>> (I am not sure about this one. I see it on the map but the internet >>>> will >>>> not tell me what jurisdiction it is in) >>>> >>>> Michele Lewis, Staff Genealogy >>>> McDuffie Mirror >>>> Thomson, McDuffie Co, GA >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >> >> -- >> 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 >> >> >> > >