Sharon, There are many different dialects of German, but the High German and Low German refer to forms which many Germans use and Students who take German in school learn. High German is simply the "Polite" form and Low German is the "familiar form." Essentially, the polite form is used in speaking with strangers or persons who command respect. The familiar form is used in speaking with friends and children. For example, "How are you?" in the familiar form is "Wie geht es dir?" while the polite form is "Wie geht es ihnen?" I don't think my grandparents and most of the Volga Germans used the polite form and were considered speakers of "Low German." Kannst du das verstehen? Marven Weitzel On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 1:22:50 -0500 <smcginness1@cox.net> writes: > Gary, thank you for finding this info & passing it along. It's > interesting that proficiency in speaking the English language was a > prerequisite to becoming a citizen. I have often wondered why my > grandparents & my mother didn't teach me or my brother any German. > Over the years I've picked up a few phrases but I couldn't even come > close to conversing in German, and that is one of a few regrets that > I have. I asked my aunt why we were never taught German and she > told me, in a rather exasperated tone I might add, that our > ancestors were required to learn to speak English and so, even > though they might converse with each other in German, they never > made any attempt to teach it to us, and my mother was not allowed to > speak German, even at home, although she did speak very fluent > German when she was a child. Which brings me to another question: > My mother always said there were two German dialects - "high" German > and "low" German. Was this related to the concept of "upper" and > "lower" villages? > > Sharon McGinness > smcginness1@cox.net > ---- gpmartens@sbcglobal.net wrote: > > ============= > > Have you wondered if you grand parents or great-grand parents were > illegal > aliens? That is, did they become citizensof the US, and what were > the laws > back 100 years ago. What were the requirements for becoming a > citizen > back in the late 1800's and early 1900's? > > This is a little lengthy, so if your not interested, delete the > message > > ======================================================= > > >From Yahoo! Answers: What year were US citizenship requirements > formulated > "The general elements of the 1802 naturalization law remained the > law of the land for more than a century. Congress made relatively > few > adjustments to the law during that time. Nevertheless, some of those > > changes promoted uniformity while others lessened the requirements > for naturalization in certain cases, and still others denied > naturalized > U.S. citizenship to entire classes of persons. > > "The Act of May 26, 1824 provided that an alien who came to the > U.S. while under age 18 might, after reaching age 21 and after five > years residence, be admitted as a citizen without having previously > made a declaration of intention. Often termed "minor > naturalizations" > because they related to immigrants who arrived in the United States > as minors, 1824 Act cases were also called "one paper > naturalizations" because no declaration of intention was required. > The > ease and speed of naturalization under the 1824 Act led to > unfortunate > abuses and frauds that continued until repeal in 1906. > > "Another exception to the two-step naturalization process was > created > for veterans who served honorably in the U.S. Army during wartime, > allowing them to petition for naturalization without previously > filing > a declaration of intent. This class of "one paper naturalizations" > was > first introduced by an Act of July 17, 1862, and was extended to > veterans of the Navy and Marine Corps on August 1, 1894. During > World War I nearly 200,000 alien soldiers were naturalized under > provisions of the Act of May 9, 1918, and additional legislation > governing the naturalization of members of our armed forces passed > in 1919, 1926, 1940, and 1952. > > "After passage of an Act of February 10, 1855, immigrant women > were able to acquire U.S. citizenship without naturalization. They > became citizens upon marriage to a U.S. citizen husband, or upon > their husband�s naturalization. Like children, who since 1790 > acquired citizenship upon the naturalization of a parent, women > derived citizenship from their husbands. A 1907 law took this > concept > further by providing that all U.S.-born women who married aliens > would lose their U.S. citizenship upon marriage. It was not until > 1922 > that women�s citizenship was separated from that of their husbands. > > For more details, see the history of women and naturalization on the > > Website of the National Archives and Records Administration. > > "While nationality law allowed some variation in naturalization > requirements, by the turn of the 20th Century many Americans were > concerned with variations in naturalization procedures and the > increasing lack of uniformity. Each court charged a different fee > and > recorded naturalization on different forms. And it seemed each court > > had its own interpretation of what constituted "good moral > character" > or "attachment to the Constitution." Most disturbing was the > prevalence of fraudulent naturalization under old laws that did not > require either positive identification of the applicant nor proof > that the > applicant had been legally admitted as an immigrant to the United > States. A Presidential commission investigated naturalization > throughout the United States and reported their findings in 1905. In > > addition to documenting widespread fraud, the commission report > recommended passage of new legislation to govern future U.S. > naturalizations. > > "Consequently, the Naturalization Act of June 29, 1906 implemented > most of the commission�s recommendations. Because courts > previously competed for naturalization business and naturalization > fees, the new law set standard fees for all naturalization > proceedings > in all courts. Because incomplete naturalization records fostered > fraud, the new law mandated standardized Declaration and Certificate > > forms be used by all courts and that copies of all naturalization > records be forwarded to a supervisory Federal agency. The 1906 law > created that agency by establishing the Bureau of Immigration and > Naturalization (a predecessor of the current INS, which is now in > the > U.S. Department of Justice) in the U.S. Department of Commerce and > Labor. > > "The 1906 Act also made knowledge of the English language a > requirement for naturalization. Proficiency in English was > considered > essential to performing the duties of citizenship, the most > important > of which is to cast an informed vote. The commission report > explained the requirement as follows: > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > -- > Have a great day :-) > > Sharon McGinness > smcginness1@cox.net > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Greetings: In addition to the formal and colloquial distinction, a distinction is made in the ethnic German classes taught at U of Kansas by professors familiar with the VG dialects, and that is the location of where the particular dialect originated, such as southern Germany is considered low German , Hessen might be middle and northern Germany as high German. However the most familiar usage I've seen is the formal to the colloquial for low German. |Maybe more industrial North happens to be more formal ? Frank Jacobs ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marven C Weitzel" <marvenw@juno.com> To: <smcginness1@cox.net> Cc: <gER-VOLGA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 7:13 AM Subject: Re: [GV] Becoming a US citizen 100 years ago Sharon, There are many different dialects of German, but the High German and Low German refer to forms which many Germans use and Students who take German in school learn. High German is simply the "Polite" form and Low German is the "familiar form." Essentially, the polite form is used in speaking with strangers or persons who command respect. The familiar form is used in speaking with friends and children. For example, "How are you?" in the familiar form is "Wie geht es dir?" while the polite form is "Wie geht es ihnen?" I don't think my grandparents and most of the Volga Germans used the polite form and were considered speakers of "Low German." Kannst du das verstehen? Marven Weitzel On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 1:22:50 -0500 <smcginness1@cox.net> writes: > Gary, thank you for finding this info & passing it along. It's > interesting that proficiency in speaking the English language was a > prerequisite to becoming a citizen. I have often wondered why my > grandparents & my mother didn't teach me or my brother any German. > Over the years I've picked up a few phrases but I couldn't even come > close to conversing in German, and that is one of a few regrets that > I have. I asked my aunt why we were never taught German and she > told me, in a rather exasperated tone I might add, that our > ancestors were required to learn to speak English and so, even > though they might converse with each other in German, they never > made any attempt to teach it to us, and my mother was not allowed to > speak German, even at home, although she did speak very fluent > German when she was a child. Which brings me to another question: > My mother always said there were two German dialects - "high" German > and "low" German. Was this related to the concept of "upper" and > "lower" villages? > > Sharon McGinness > smcginness1@cox.net > ---- gpmartens@sbcglobal.net wrote: > > ============= > > Have you wondered if you grand parents or great-grand parents were > illegal > aliens? That is, did they become citizensof the US, and what were > the laws > back 100 years ago. What were the requirements for becoming a > citizen > back in the late 1800's and early 1900's? > > This is a little lengthy, so if your not interested, delete the > message > > ======================================================= > > >From Yahoo! Answers: What year were US citizenship requirements > formulated > "The general elements of the 1802 naturalization law remained the > law of the land for more than a century. Congress made relatively > few > adjustments to the law during that time. Nevertheless, some of those > > changes promoted uniformity while others lessened the requirements > for naturalization in certain cases, and still others denied > naturalized > U.S. citizenship to entire classes of persons. > > "The Act of May 26, 1824 provided that an alien who came to the > U.S. while under age 18 might, after reaching age 21 and after five > years residence, be admitted as a citizen without having previously > made a declaration of intention. Often termed "minor > naturalizations" > because they related to immigrants who arrived in the United States > as minors, 1824 Act cases were also called "one paper > naturalizations" because no declaration of intention was required. > The > ease and speed of naturalization under the 1824 Act led to > unfortunate > abuses and frauds that continued until repeal in 1906. > > "Another exception to the two-step naturalization process was > created > for veterans who served honorably in the U.S. Army during wartime, > allowing them to petition for naturalization without previously > filing > a declaration of intent. This class of "one paper naturalizations" > was > first introduced by an Act of July 17, 1862, and was extended to > veterans of the Navy and Marine Corps on August 1, 1894. During > World War I nearly 200,000 alien soldiers were naturalized under > provisions of the Act of May 9, 1918, and additional legislation > governing the naturalization of members of our armed forces passed > in 1919, 1926, 1940, and 1952. > > "After passage of an Act of February 10, 1855, immigrant women > were able to acquire U.S. citizenship without naturalization. They > became citizens upon marriage to a U.S. citizen husband, or upon > their husbands naturalization. Like children, who since 1790 > acquired citizenship upon the naturalization of a parent, women > derived citizenship from their husbands. A 1907 law took this > concept > further by providing that all U.S.-born women who married aliens > would lose their U.S. citizenship upon marriage. It was not until > 1922 > that womens citizenship was separated from that of their husbands. > > For more details, see the history of women and naturalization on the > > Website of the National Archives and Records Administration. > > "While nationality law allowed some variation in naturalization > requirements, by the turn of the 20th Century many Americans were > concerned with variations in naturalization procedures and the > increasing lack of uniformity. Each court charged a different fee > and > recorded naturalization on different forms. And it seemed each court > > had its own interpretation of what constituted "good moral > character" > or "attachment to the Constitution." Most disturbing was the > prevalence of fraudulent naturalization under old laws that did not > require either positive identification of the applicant nor proof > that the > applicant had been legally admitted as an immigrant to the United > States. A Presidential commission investigated naturalization > throughout the United States and reported their findings in 1905. In > > addition to documenting widespread fraud, the commission report > recommended passage of new legislation to govern future U.S. > naturalizations. > > "Consequently, the Naturalization Act of June 29, 1906 implemented > most of the commissions recommendations. Because courts > previously competed for naturalization business and naturalization > fees, the new law set standard fees for all naturalization > proceedings > in all courts. Because incomplete naturalization records fostered > fraud, the new law mandated standardized Declaration and Certificate > > forms be used by all courts and that copies of all naturalization > records be forwarded to a supervisory Federal agency. The 1906 law > created that agency by establishing the Bureau of Immigration and > Naturalization (a predecessor of the current INS, which is now in > the > U.S. Department of Justice) in the U.S. Department of Commerce and > Labor. > > "The 1906 Act also made knowledge of the English language a > requirement for naturalization. Proficiency in English was > considered > essential to performing the duties of citizenship, the most > important > of which is to cast an informed vote. The commission report > explained the requirement as follows: > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > -- > Have a great day :-) > > Sharon McGinness > smcginness1@cox.net > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

My Great Grandfather was born in Neu Messer and his wife was from Norka (both born in 1858). He is said to have teased her about speaking "slop bucket deutch". Do any of you have any Idea what that might mean? Frederick Betz ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marven C Weitzel" <marvenw@juno.com> To: <smcginness1@cox.net> Cc: <gER-VOLGA-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 5:13 AM Subject: Re: [GV] Becoming a US citizen 100 years ago > Sharon, > There are many different dialects of German, but the High German and Low > German refer to forms which many Germans use and Students who take German > in school learn. High German is simply the "Polite" form and Low German > is the "familiar form." Essentially, the polite form is used in speaking > with strangers or persons who command respect. The familiar form is used > in speaking with friends and children. For example, "How are you?" in > the familiar form is "Wie geht es dir?" while the polite form is "Wie > geht es ihnen?" I don't think my grandparents and most of the Volga > Germans used the polite form and were considered speakers of "Low > German." Kannst du das verstehen? > Marven Weitzel > > On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 1:22:50 -0500 <smcginness1@cox.net> writes: >> Gary, thank you for finding this info & passing it along. It's >> interesting that proficiency in speaking the English language was a >> prerequisite to becoming a citizen. I have often wondered why my >> grandparents & my mother didn't teach me or my brother any German. >> Over the years I've picked up a few phrases but I couldn't even come >> close to conversing in German, and that is one of a few regrets that >> I have. I asked my aunt why we were never taught German and she >> told me, in a rather exasperated tone I might add, that our >> ancestors were required to learn to speak English and so, even >> though they might converse with each other in German, they never >> made any attempt to teach it to us, and my mother was not allowed to >> speak German, even at home, although she did speak very fluent >> German when she was a child. Which brings me to another question: >> My mother always said there were two German dialects - "high" German >> and "low" German. Was this related to the concept of "upper" and >> "lower" villages? >> >> Sharon McGinness >> smcginness1@cox.net >> ---- gpmartens@sbcglobal.net wrote: >> >> ============= >> >> Have you wondered if you grand parents or great-grand parents were >> illegal >> aliens? That is, did they become citizensof the US, and what were >> the laws >> back 100 years ago. What were the requirements for becoming a >> citizen >> back in the late 1800's and early 1900's? >> >> This is a little lengthy, so if your not interested, delete the >> message >> >> ======================================================= >> >> >From Yahoo! Answers: What year were US citizenship requirements >> formulated >> "The general elements of the 1802 naturalization law remained the >> law of the land for more than a century. Congress made relatively >> few >> adjustments to the law during that time. Nevertheless, some of those >> >> changes promoted uniformity while others lessened the requirements >> for naturalization in certain cases, and still others denied >> naturalized >> U.S. citizenship to entire classes of persons. >> >> "The Act of May 26, 1824 provided that an alien who came to the >> U.S. while under age 18 might, after reaching age 21 and after five >> years residence, be admitted as a citizen without having previously >> made a declaration of intention. Often termed "minor >> naturalizations" >> because they related to immigrants who arrived in the United States >> as minors, 1824 Act cases were also called "one paper >> naturalizations" because no declaration of intention was required. >> The >> ease and speed of naturalization under the 1824 Act led to >> unfortunate >> abuses and frauds that continued until repeal in 1906. >> >> "Another exception to the two-step naturalization process was >> created >> for veterans who served honorably in the U.S. Army during wartime, >> allowing them to petition for naturalization without previously >> filing >> a declaration of intent. This class of "one paper naturalizations" >> was >> first introduced by an Act of July 17, 1862, and was extended to >> veterans of the Navy and Marine Corps on August 1, 1894. During >> World War I nearly 200,000 alien soldiers were naturalized under >> provisions of the Act of May 9, 1918, and additional legislation >> governing the naturalization of members of our armed forces passed >> in 1919, 1926, 1940, and 1952. >> >> "After passage of an Act of February 10, 1855, immigrant women >> were able to acquire U.S. citizenship without naturalization. They >> became citizens upon marriage to a U.S. citizen husband, or upon >> their husbands naturalization. Like children, who since 1790 >> acquired citizenship upon the naturalization of a parent, women >> derived citizenship from their husbands. A 1907 law took this >> concept >> further by providing that all U.S.-born women who married aliens >> would lose their U.S. citizenship upon marriage. It was not until >> 1922 >> that womens citizenship was separated from that of their husbands. >> >> For more details, see the history of women and naturalization on the >> >> Website of the National Archives and Records Administration. >> >> "While nationality law allowed some variation in naturalization >> requirements, by the turn of the 20th Century many Americans were >> concerned with variations in naturalization procedures and the >> increasing lack of uniformity. Each court charged a different fee >> and >> recorded naturalization on different forms. And it seemed each court >> >> had its own interpretation of what constituted "good moral >> character" >> or "attachment to the Constitution." Most disturbing was the >> prevalence of fraudulent naturalization under old laws that did not >> require either positive identification of the applicant nor proof >> that the >> applicant had been legally admitted as an immigrant to the United >> States. A Presidential commission investigated naturalization >> throughout the United States and reported their findings in 1905. In >> >> addition to documenting widespread fraud, the commission report >> recommended passage of new legislation to govern future U.S. >> naturalizations. >> >> "Consequently, the Naturalization Act of June 29, 1906 implemented >> most of the commissions recommendations. Because courts >> previously competed for naturalization business and naturalization >> fees, the new law set standard fees for all naturalization >> proceedings >> in all courts. Because incomplete naturalization records fostered >> fraud, the new law mandated standardized Declaration and Certificate >> >> forms be used by all courts and that copies of all naturalization >> records be forwarded to a supervisory Federal agency. The 1906 law >> created that agency by establishing the Bureau of Immigration and >> Naturalization (a predecessor of the current INS, which is now in >> the >> U.S. Department of Justice) in the U.S. Department of Commerce and >> Labor. >> >> "The 1906 Act also made knowledge of the English language a >> requirement for naturalization. Proficiency in English was >> considered >> essential to performing the duties of citizenship, the most >> important >> of which is to cast an informed vote. The commission report >> explained the requirement as follows: >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without >> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> -- >> Have a great day :-) >> >> Sharon McGinness >> smcginness1@cox.net >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without >> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

I don't know for sure, but it might be all the expressions they used. My greatgrandmother was from Messer, & I remember a few of them. SHLOP GUSH ment big mouth, NASE BUTZA ment to give someone a rude jesture, BABUSHKA ment scarf, but it was taken from a Russian word meaning "an old peasent lady who wore a scarf". baba by it self ment old farm lady.( this I learned from Vera ) I believe NASE BUTZER also ment to be snubbed by someone.( ex.: He gave me the nase butzer ) There was a few more, but my age is against me, & I can't remember them. I'm digging back to 1949 when I was only 5 years old. Hope this was some help to you. Charles Parcels Fred and Krista Betz <fkbetz@verizon.net> wrote: My Great Grandfather was born in Neu Messer and his wife was from Norka (both born in 1858). He is said to have teased her about speaking "slop bucket deutch". Do any of you have any Idea what that might mean? Frederick Betz ----- Original Message ----- From: "Marven C Weitzel" To: Cc: Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 5:13 AM Subject: Re: [GV] Becoming a US citizen 100 years ago > Sharon, > There are many different dialects of German, but the High German and Low > German refer to forms which many Germans use and Students who take German > in school learn. High German is simply the "Polite" form and Low German > is the "familiar form." Essentially, the polite form is used in speaking > with strangers or persons who command respect. The familiar form is used > in speaking with friends and children. For example, "How are you?" in > the familiar form is "Wie geht es dir?" while the polite form is "Wie > geht es ihnen?" I don't think my grandparents and most of the Volga > Germans used the polite form and were considered speakers of "Low > German." Kannst du das verstehen? > Marven Weitzel > > On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 1:22:50 -0500 writes: >> Gary, thank you for finding this info & passing it along. It's >> interesting that proficiency in speaking the English language was a >> prerequisite to becoming a citizen. I have often wondered why my >> grandparents & my mother didn't teach me or my brother any German. >> Over the years I've picked up a few phrases but I couldn't even come >> close to conversing in German, and that is one of a few regrets that >> I have. I asked my aunt why we were never taught German and she >> told me, in a rather exasperated tone I might add, that our >> ancestors were required to learn to speak English and so, even >> though they might converse with each other in German, they never >> made any attempt to teach it to us, and my mother was not allowed to >> speak German, even at home, although she did speak very fluent >> German when she was a child. Which brings me to another question: >> My mother always said there were two German dialects - "high" German >> and "low" German. Was this related to the concept of "upper" and >> "lower" villages? >> >> Sharon McGinness >> smcginness1@cox.net >> ---- gpmartens@sbcglobal.net wrote: >> >> ============= >> >> Have you wondered if you grand parents or great-grand parents were >> illegal >> aliens? That is, did they become citizensof the US, and what were >> the laws >> back 100 years ago. What were the requirements for becoming a >> citizen >> back in the late 1800's and early 1900's? >> >> This is a little lengthy, so if your not interested, delete the >> message >> >> ======================================================= >> >> >From Yahoo! Answers: What year were US citizenship requirements >> formulated >> "The general elements of the 1802 naturalization law remained the >> law of the land for more than a century. Congress made relatively >> few >> adjustments to the law during that time. Nevertheless, some of those >> >> changes promoted uniformity while others lessened the requirements >> for naturalization in certain cases, and still others denied >> naturalized >> U.S. citizenship to entire classes of persons. >> >> "The Act of May 26, 1824 provided that an alien who came to the >> U.S. while under age 18 might, after reaching age 21 and after five >> years residence, be admitted as a citizen without having previously >> made a declaration of intention. Often termed "minor >> naturalizations" >> because they related to immigrants who arrived in the United States >> as minors, 1824 Act cases were also called "one paper >> naturalizations" because no declaration of intention was required. >> The >> ease and speed of naturalization under the 1824 Act led to >> unfortunate >> abuses and frauds that continued until repeal in 1906. >> >> "Another exception to the two-step naturalization process was >> created >> for veterans who served honorably in the U.S. Army during wartime, >> allowing them to petition for naturalization without previously >> filing >> a declaration of intent. This class of "one paper naturalizations" >> was >> first introduced by an Act of July 17, 1862, and was extended to >> veterans of the Navy and Marine Corps on August 1, 1894. During >> World War I nearly 200,000 alien soldiers were naturalized under >> provisions of the Act of May 9, 1918, and additional legislation >> governing the naturalization of members of our armed forces passed >> in 1919, 1926, 1940, and 1952. >> >> "After passage of an Act of February 10, 1855, immigrant women >> were able to acquire U.S. citizenship without naturalization. They >> became citizens upon marriage to a U.S. citizen husband, or upon >> their husbands naturalization. Like children, who since 1790 >> acquired citizenship upon the naturalization of a parent, women >> derived citizenship from their husbands. A 1907 law took this >> concept >> further by providing that all U.S.-born women who married aliens >> would lose their U.S. citizenship upon marriage. It was not until >> 1922 >> that womens citizenship was separated from that of their husbands. >> >> For more details, see the history of women and naturalization on the >> >> Website of the National Archives and Records Administration. >> >> "While nationality law allowed some variation in naturalization >> requirements, by the turn of the 20th Century many Americans were >> concerned with variations in naturalization procedures and the >> increasing lack of uniformity. Each court charged a different fee >> and >> recorded naturalization on different forms. And it seemed each court >> >> had its own interpretation of what constituted "good moral >> character" >> or "attachment to the Constitution." Most disturbing was the >> prevalence of fraudulent naturalization under old laws that did not >> require either positive identification of the applicant nor proof >> that the >> applicant had been legally admitted as an immigrant to the United >> States. A Presidential commission investigated naturalization >> throughout the United States and reported their findings in 1905. In >> >> addition to documenting widespread fraud, the commission report >> recommended passage of new legislation to govern future U.S. >> naturalizations. >> >> "Consequently, the Naturalization Act of June 29, 1906 implemented >> most of the commissions recommendations. Because courts >> previously competed for naturalization business and naturalization >> fees, the new law set standard fees for all naturalization >> proceedings >> in all courts. Because incomplete naturalization records fostered >> fraud, the new law mandated standardized Declaration and Certificate >> >> forms be used by all courts and that copies of all naturalization >> records be forwarded to a supervisory Federal agency. The 1906 law >> created that agency by establishing the Bureau of Immigration and >> Naturalization (a predecessor of the current INS, which is now in >> the >> U.S. Department of Justice) in the U.S. Department of Commerce and >> Labor. >> >> "The 1906 Act also made knowledge of the English language a >> requirement for naturalization. Proficiency in English was >> considered >> essential to performing the duties of citizenship, the most >> important >> of which is to cast an informed vote. The commission report >> explained the requirement as follows: >> >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without >> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> -- >> Have a great day :-) >> >> Sharon McGinness >> smcginness1@cox.net >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without >> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message --------------------------------- Ready for the edge of your seat? 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Regarding High German and Low German, a simple and to the point definition can be found at http://www.orbislingua.com/ead.htm. The two are just different dialectal groups (note that 'Low German' is not a negative term but just the name of a dialectal group). My grandparents came to America from the Volga region in 1911. Supposedly they spoke a Low German dialect. Jim Weibert Rocklin, CA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Parcels" <volgager4440@yahoo.com> To: "Fred and Krista Betz" <fkbetz@verizon.net> Cc: <ger-volga@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 6:25 AM Subject: Re: [GV] High and Low Gereman > I don't know for sure, but it might be all the > expressions they used. My greatgrandmother was from Messer, & I remember a > few of them. SHLOP GUSH ment big mouth, NASE BUTZA ment to give someone a > rude jesture, BABUSHKA ment scarf, but it was taken from a Russian word > meaning "an old peasent lady who wore a scarf". baba by it self ment old > farm lady.( this I learned from Vera ) I believe NASE BUTZER also ment to > be snubbed by someone.( ex.: He gave me the nase butzer ) There was a few > more, but my age is against me, & I can't remember them. I'm digging back > to 1949 when I was only 5 years old. Hope this was some help to you. > > Charles Parcels > > > > > Fred and Krista Betz <fkbetz@verizon.net> wrote: > My Great Grandfather was born in Neu Messer and his wife was from Norka > (both born in 1858). He is said to have teased her about speaking "slop > bucket deutch". Do any of you have any Idea what that might mean? > > Frederick Betz > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Marven C Weitzel" > To: > Cc: > Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 5:13 AM > Subject: Re: [GV] Becoming a US citizen 100 years ago > > >> Sharon, >> There are many different dialects of German, but the High German and Low >> German refer to forms which many Germans use and Students who take German >> in school learn. High German is simply the "Polite" form and Low German >> is the "familiar form." Essentially, the polite form is used in speaking >> with strangers or persons who command respect. The familiar form is used >> in speaking with friends and children. For example, "How are you?" in >> the familiar form is "Wie geht es dir?" while the polite form is "Wie >> geht es ihnen?" I don't think my grandparents and most of the Volga >> Germans used the polite form and were considered speakers of "Low >> German." Kannst du das verstehen? >> Marven Weitzel >> >> On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 1:22:50 -0500 writes: >>> Gary, thank you for finding this info & passing it along. It's >>> interesting that proficiency in speaking the English language was a >>> prerequisite to becoming a citizen. I have often wondered why my >>> grandparents & my mother didn't teach me or my brother any German. >>> Over the years I've picked up a few phrases but I couldn't even come >>> close to conversing in German, and that is one of a few regrets that >>> I have. I asked my aunt why we were never taught German and she >>> told me, in a rather exasperated tone I might add, that our >>> ancestors were required to learn to speak English and so, even >>> though they might converse with each other in German, they never >>> made any attempt to teach it to us, and my mother was not allowed to >>> speak German, even at home, although she did speak very fluent >>> German when she was a child. Which brings me to another question: >>> My mother always said there were two German dialects - "high" German >>> and "low" German. Was this related to the concept of "upper" and >>> "lower" villages? >>> >>> Sharon McGinness >>> smcginness1@cox.net >>> ---- gpmartens@sbcglobal.net wrote: >>> >>> ============= >>> >>> Have you wondered if you grand parents or great-grand parents were >>> illegal >>> aliens? That is, did they become citizensof the US, and what were >>> the laws >>> back 100 years ago. What were the requirements for becoming a >>> citizen >>> back in the late 1800's and early 1900's? >>> >>> This is a little lengthy, so if your not interested, delete the >>> message >>> >>> ======================================================= >>> >>> >From Yahoo! Answers: What year were US citizenship requirements >>> formulated >>> "The general elements of the 1802 naturalization law remained the >>> law of the land for more than a century. Congress made relatively >>> few >>> adjustments to the law during that time. Nevertheless, some of those >>> >>> changes promoted uniformity while others lessened the requirements >>> for naturalization in certain cases, and still others denied >>> naturalized >>> U.S. citizenship to entire classes of persons. >>> >>> "The Act of May 26, 1824 provided that an alien who came to the >>> U.S. while under age 18 might, after reaching age 21 and after five >>> years residence, be admitted as a citizen without having previously >>> made a declaration of intention. Often termed "minor >>> naturalizations" >>> because they related to immigrants who arrived in the United States >>> as minors, 1824 Act cases were also called "one paper >>> naturalizations" because no declaration of intention was required. >>> The >>> ease and speed of naturalization under the 1824 Act led to >>> unfortunate >>> abuses and frauds that continued until repeal in 1906. >>> >>> "Another exception to the two-step naturalization process was >>> created >>> for veterans who served honorably in the U.S. Army during wartime, >>> allowing them to petition for naturalization without previously >>> filing >>> a declaration of intent. This class of "one paper naturalizations" >>> was >>> first introduced by an Act of July 17, 1862, and was extended to >>> veterans of the Navy and Marine Corps on August 1, 1894. During >>> World War I nearly 200,000 alien soldiers were naturalized under >>> provisions of the Act of May 9, 1918, and additional legislation >>> governing the naturalization of members of our armed forces passed >>> in 1919, 1926, 1940, and 1952. >>> >>> "After passage of an Act of February 10, 1855, immigrant women >>> were able to acquire U.S. citizenship without naturalization. They >>> became citizens upon marriage to a U.S. citizen husband, or upon >>> their husbands naturalization. Like children, who since 1790 >>> acquired citizenship upon the naturalization of a parent, women >>> derived citizenship from their husbands. A 1907 law took this >>> concept >>> further by providing that all U.S.-born women who married aliens >>> would lose their U.S. citizenship upon marriage. It was not until >>> 1922 >>> that womens citizenship was separated from that of their husbands. >>> >>> For more details, see the history of women and naturalization on the >>> >>> Website of the National Archives and Records Administration. >>> >>> "While nationality law allowed some variation in naturalization >>> requirements, by the turn of the 20th Century many Americans were >>> concerned with variations in naturalization procedures and the >>> increasing lack of uniformity. Each court charged a different fee >>> and >>> recorded naturalization on different forms. And it seemed each court >>> >>> had its own interpretation of what constituted "good moral >>> character" >>> or "attachment to the Constitution." Most disturbing was the >>> prevalence of fraudulent naturalization under old laws that did not >>> require either positive identification of the applicant nor proof >>> that the >>> applicant had been legally admitted as an immigrant to the United >>> States. A Presidential commission investigated naturalization >>> throughout the United States and reported their findings in 1905. In >>> >>> addition to documenting widespread fraud, the commission report >>> recommended passage of new legislation to govern future U.S. >>> naturalizations. >>> >>> "Consequently, the Naturalization Act of June 29, 1906 implemented >>> most of the commissions recommendations. Because courts >>> previously competed for naturalization business and naturalization >>> fees, the new law set standard fees for all naturalization >>> proceedings >>> in all courts. Because incomplete naturalization records fostered >>> fraud, the new law mandated standardized Declaration and Certificate >>> >>> forms be used by all courts and that copies of all naturalization >>> records be forwarded to a supervisory Federal agency. The 1906 law >>> created that agency by establishing the Bureau of Immigration and >>> Naturalization (a predecessor of the current INS, which is now in >>> the >>> U.S. Department of Justice) in the U.S. Department of Commerce and >>> Labor. >>> >>> "The 1906 Act also made knowledge of the English language a >>> requirement for naturalization. Proficiency in English was >>> considered >>> essential to performing the duties of citizenship, the most >>> important >>> of which is to cast an informed vote. The commission report >>> explained the requirement as follows: >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without >>> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >>> >>> -- >>> Have a great day :-) >>> >>> Sharon McGinness >>> smcginness1@cox.net >>> >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------- >>> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >>> GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without >>> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the >> quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > --------------------------------- > Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on Yahoo! > TV. > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GER-VOLGA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >