Barbara, As to Wuerttemberg of the mid-1860s, I hope one of the native Germans on the List will give you a better answer than I might suggest. In the years before the formation of the 1871 German Empire, the lesser Germanic countries allied themselves or perhaps were forced to ally themselves with either of the large Germanic states, Prussia or Austria, in any war. For that period of time when your ancestor perhaps was realizing what might happen to his future.... in 1864 there was a German-Danish War (in this instance Austria and Prussia were on the same side) in 1866 there was a German-Austrian War, a seven-weeks war and while Denmark with the Schleswig-Holstein area as the prime area under contention, the results from the Peace of Nicolsburg estalished the North German Confederation and allowed the annexation of various northern Germanic states by Prussia and for the future of course the 1870 Franco-German War (in error, referred to in American histories as the Franco-Prussian War) which was a result of a Spanish succession problem included troops from many of the Germanic countries. My memory may be fuzzy here and perhaps I have the wrong war but I believe one of the major battles of the Franco-German War was won for the Germans by Bavarian troops under Bavarian officers. Certainly, your ancestor understood his military future and he probably realized that while wars take place for various, including unknown, reasons that the only losers are the foot-soldiers on both sides. Armies were for hire for many years in Europe. We have all read that Germans fought with the English in the American War of the Revolution. Germans also fought with the French for the American colonies in the same war. During the years of Napoleon, Baden had troops which fought with Napoleon's troops in Russia; later Baden was a direct opponent of Napoleon. Who knows what Christian Adalf Henzler thought might be his future; was a strange world on the other side of an ocean better for him? djweber [email protected] ------------------------- ----- Original Message ----- From: "Barbara Bower" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 7:47 AM Subject: [Ortenau] Re: Emigration >I have found the messages about emigration very interesting. I am >beginning to believe that my great grandfather, Christian Adalf Henzler >who emigrated from Nurtingen Wurtemberg in 1866 did so to avoid being >drafted (he was 20 years old and he left through France) . I am assuming if >he did emigrate to avoid the draft that he did it illegally. I am right it >that conclusion? > > Barbara Bower > >