"The extent to which ethnicity persisted beyond 1880 depended on the success with which German culture could be transmitted to the third generation." Thanks, Gary. I think it's really true. My husband and his brothers and sisters were mildly surprised when I learned their maternal grandmother's family was Austrian and their paternal grandmother's family was German, via Pennsylvania. One sister dug around and found a German missal, a confirmation gift in the 1880s, and remembered that her mother said the old folks would send her for a bucket of beer and speak German when they didn't want her to know something.

<<send her for a bucket of beer>> Known as, "rushin' the growler." Gary ----- Original Message ----- From: <SCraycraft@aol.com> To: <MO-STLOUIS-METRO-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2003 2:41 PM Subject: [StL-Metro] Assimilation > "The extent to which ethnicity persisted beyond 1880 depended on the success > with which German culture could be transmitted to the third generation." > > Thanks, Gary. I think it's really true. My husband and his brothers and > sisters were mildly surprised when I learned their maternal grandmother's family > was Austrian and their paternal grandmother's family was German, via > Pennsylvania. One sister dug around and found a German missal, a confirmation gift in > the 1880s, and remembered that her mother said the old folks would send her for > a bucket of beer and speak German when they didn't want her to know something. > > > > > ==== MO-STLOUIS-METRO Mailing List ==== > If you are researching the Irish in St. Louis, you might want to have a look at Diane Shaw's websites: http://members.gtw.net/~seamus/Irshnstl.htm and http://members.gtw.net/~seamus/KerryPatch.htm >