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.