Diane, Thank you for you special contribution to this discussion. The only thing I would add is that our forebears were seen as strangers and sojourners in the lands in which they lived by the others around them because the vast majority of our people lived in their own isolated enclaves with only minimum interaction with those around them until the latter part of our history. A living parallel exists in Pennsylvania to this day in terms of the Amish with their own culture, self understanding, mode of dress, dialect and attitude towards "outsiders" and their place as strangers and pilgrims living on the fringe of contemporary society. Henry Fischer -----Original Message----- From: Diane Halas Sent: Monday, May 05, 2014 9:55 PM To: 'Jody McKim Pharr' ; donauschwaben-villages@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [DVHH] Why our parents didn't say they were Shwovish It seems to me that the Banat of the 18th and early 19th century was the America of the late 19th and early 20th century - a great big area of opportunity for people looking for a better life or their own land. But because of the political landscape and the building of designated immigrant villages, it never quite became a true melting pot. There were always people defined "others" , just as there are now. Official language changes altered names and spellings. Many last names are only residual of earliest ancestors; others show direct lines of descent. Ethnicity became diluted; nationality changed; allegiance and identification shifted. Parallels? One may as well ask, "What is an American?" Diane ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DONAUSCHWABEN-VILLAGES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message