I have the same problem.   My Elizabeth Weinsheimer/Winsheimer is said to have come from Alsace-Lorraine, but some US records say she is from Hesse-Darmstadt.     I have no idea where to look or even how to search for her in Germany.   Anyone else have this surname?  Her father was Anthony and brother, Andrew...found them in Ohio.  Elizabeth WEINSHEIMER married Johann GERSTENSCHLAEGER in Ohio.  My Gerstenschlaegers are also from Darmstadt..Habitzheim. Any pointers will be gratefully and happilly accepted. Thanks, y'all! Carolyn Chappell Nelson anymoreancestors@gmail.com   ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to HESSE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message   _____   No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3418 - Release Date: 02/02/11   ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to HESSE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Carolyn, Have you looked at the distribution of the name WEINSHEIMER on the link: http://christoph.stoepel.net/geogen/v3/Map.ashx?name=WEINSHEIMER <http://christoph.stoepel.net/geogen/v3/Map.ashx?name=WEINSHEIMER&target=DE&renderer=EN_US&mode=rel> &target=DE&renderer=EN_US&mode=rel It might give you some clues. I would LOVE to know why some people (my Grandmother included) never mentioned the name “Germany” but dramatically “dropped the name” of Alsace-Lorraine whenever she thought someone might be listening. Ah, she was a drama teacher, but I also wonder if back in the 30’s and the 40’s if the hatred and fear of Hitler caused this to be a factor in her (and many other people) not ever mentioning that her (their) people came from Germany. From what I have learned from all of you today is that Alzey is about 60 miles from the border of Alsace-Lorraine, and never was included within this border. So to me this is seeming more and more like a fairy-story that was conjured up because no one coming from Germany wanted to talk about their past! My Alsatian gg-g grandfather, my foot! My GERMAN GG-Grandfather, and I am proud of him! If I had been unwilling to look past Alsace-Lorraine, I would have NEVER found my ancestors! I started out on the Rootsweb Alsace-Lorraine list, then migrated to the Baden-Wurttemburg one, and then once I got to the HESSE sight, the answers started to flow! And ALWAYS will I remember Alexia for this. Bless her! And bless all of you! Kathy Cochran San Andreas, CA From: hesse-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:hesse-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of CarolynChappellNelson Sent: Monday, February 28, 2011 6:50 PM To: hesse@rootsweb.com Cc: James Baker Subject: Re: [HESSE] Alsace-Lorraine/Darmstadt Weinsheimer/Gerstenschlaeger I have the same problem. My Elizabeth Weinsheimer/Winsheimer is said to have come from Alsace-Lorraine, but some US records say she is from Hesse-Darmstadt. I have no idea where to look or even how to search for her in Germany. Anyone else have this surname? Her father was Anthony and brother, Andrew...found them in Ohio. Elizabeth WEINSHEIMER married Johann GERSTENSCHLAEGER in Ohio. My Gerstenschlaegers are also from Darmstadt..Habitzheim. Any pointers will be gratefully and happilly accepted. Thanks, y'all! Carolyn Chappell Nelson anymoreancestors@gmail.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to HESSE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3418 - Release Date: 02/02/11 ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to HESSE-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 HESSE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3474 - Release Date: 02/28/11

On Feb 28, 2011, at 7:09 PM, Kathy Cochran wrote: > I would LOVE to know why some people (my Grandmother included) never mentioned the name “Germany” but dramatically “dropped the name” of Alsace-Lorraine whenever she thought someone might be listening. Ah, she was a drama teacher, but I also wonder if back in the 30’s and the 40’s if the hatred and fear of Hitler caused this to be a factor in her (and many other people) not ever mentioning that her (their) people came from Germany. This was common not only in the 1930s onward but before that period, all the way back before WWI. From 1914 there was a great prejudice against all things German, especially family roots in Germany. Some folks changed their surnames (as my grandfather did from Petersen to MacLaughlan -- much easier to be Irish or Scottish than be mistaken for German). Some folks decided that their ancestors came from Alsace or even France. One family line had the surname Jatho from Hesse-Kassel, and several cousins were told that the surname was really "Jathaux" from France. We now know better.... Regards, Debra MacLaughlan-Dumes http://sakionline.net/familypage

Carolyn, on the 1st page of the link regarding your family it states: Summary I found 178 entries and localized them in 58 different counties. There are around 472 people with this name projected on total population. This is an occurance below average. That should help. Look at the site and you might learn a lot of things that might help you zero in on your family. Kathy From: hesse-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:hesse-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of CarolynChappellNelson Sent: Monday, February 28, 2011 6:50 PM To: hesse@rootsweb.com Cc: James Baker Subject: Re: [HESSE] Alsace-Lorraine/Darmstadt Weinsheimer/Gerstenschlaeger I have the same problem. My Elizabeth Weinsheimer/Winsheimer is said to have come from Alsace-Lorraine, but some US records say she is from Hesse-Darmstadt. I have no idea where to look or even how to search for her in Germany. Anyone else have this surname? Her father was Anthony and brother, Andrew...found them in Ohio. Elizabeth WEINSHEIMER married Johann GERSTENSCHLAEGER in Ohio. My Gerstenschlaegers are also from Darmstadt..Habitzheim. Any pointers will be gratefully and happilly accepted. Thanks, y'all! Carolyn Chappell Nelson anymoreancestors@gmail.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to HESSE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3418 - Release Date: 02/02/11 ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to HESSE-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 HESSE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message _____ No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3474 - Release Date: 02/28/11

Those names appear to be of the Rhineland-Palatinate origin. Possibly Alsatian. You would do well to look for some books on German etymology, in regards to surnames. I'm a rank amateur, and could easily be Wildly wrong. Your best bet is to find the churches they belonged to and look for every birth/baptism/marriage record in a church you can on the family. If they went to a German language church, then the town of origin is likely recorded in those records. The Weinsheimer name is very dense in the Palatine (Bad Kruznach) region even today. But my money is on the name originating in Weinsheim, in the Palatine near the border with Luxemburg and Belgium. YMMV, Brian On Mon, February 28, 2011 8:50 pm, CarolynChappellNelson wrote: > > > I have the same problem.   My Elizabeth Weinsheimer/Winsheimer is said to > have come from Alsace-Lorraine, but some US records say she is from > Hesse-Darmstadt.     I have no idea where to look or even how to search > for her in Germany.   Anyone else have this surname?  Her father was > Anthony and brother, Andrew...found them in Ohio.  > > > > Elizabeth WEINSHEIMER married Johann GERSTENSCHLAEGER in Ohio.  My > Gerstenschlaegers are also from Darmstadt..Habitzheim. > > > > Any pointers will be gratefully and happilly accepted. > > > > Thanks, y'all! > > Carolyn Chappell Nelson > > anymoreancestors@gmail.com > > > > >   > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > HESSE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in > the subject and the body of the message > >   _____   > > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1435/3418 - Release Date: 02/02/11 > >   > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > HESSE-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 > HESSE-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message