Hi, I am trying to figure out how to tell my family that 4 sets of ancestors came from Germany in the 1700s They were from Hesse, Rhineland, and Solingen (don't know what that state or whatever was called.) 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