On 6/8/2012 19:02, vjspringer@aol.com wrote: > I wrote that it was not correct to call them Germans in that time period. I said that they were of Germanic > heritage, they spoke German, and are from an area that is now Germany. My family that I give the genealogy too understands the country Germany (now) but have no idea of that time period and are not going to research it. Is this too simplified or how else could I say it. > > Velma You might want to just say "It's Germany now, it wasn't called that then, but if you say they're German, people will know what you mean." Not everybody is fascinated by history, or knows the details - or wants to. And that actually seems to be the way official records tend to work as well: for example, my grandmother was born in Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory. And being one of those history geeks, that's how I record it. But I also recognize that within her lifetime, including her delayed birth certificate, she (and the State of Oklahoma) gave her birthplace as Garvin County, Oklahoma. They never let the fact that there was no such place when she was born slow them down a bit. :) --pig