[hopfenundmalz]

The really interesting part with genealogy or DNA analysis is how blurry all the lines get at times.  Even if you get DNA analysis, they are only estimating anyway.  For example, the Roman Empire controlled so much that no matter what your ancestors claimed their nationality as, you may find a lot of 'Italian' DNA.

Everybody has Charlemagne as an ancestor. 

There weren't that many people back then, so it gets blurry.

The Romans were all over. We have been to many Roman sites in Germany and Britain. On the last trip we stopped at Hadrians wall. The majority of the troops were from conquered states like Romania. To remote for the Romans.

[klickitat jim]

Or Lothar the Barbarian

[narcout]

For example, some of my ancestors claimed Hessen as their country of origin, and they gave that answer every time that they were asked until the turn of the century when claiming Germany became the standard for anyone arriving here from one of the German states.

Hessen is also where my family is from (my last name is a slight variation of this word).  My father traced our family tree back to the first of our ancestors who came to the States from Germany in the 1700's.   

[S. cerevisiae]

My older sister is the genealogist in the family. On my dad's side they came from the state of Baden in 1847, when there was quite a bit of social and political unrest in that region. Germany did not exist until 1871, so they were from Baden.

My ancestors from Hessen came to the United States in the 1860s, so that makes sense.  I have ancestors on my mother's side of the family that came from Baden-Wurttenburg during the eighteenth century.  However, I believe that these ancestors were Huguenots, which technically makes them displaced French Calvinists. 


Another thing that is interesting about German migration is that the early Germans were mostly protestant (Maryland and Pennsylvania where the only colonies were freedom to practice any religion was the rule).  The Catholic Germans did not start showing up in large numbers until after the United States was a country.  Western Maryland was mostly settled by Germans from the Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wurttemburg in eighteenth century.  From what I can ascertain, Pennsylvania Dutch (a.k.a. Pennsylvania German) is rooted in the dialect spoken in the Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wurttemburg.  This language is still spoken by the Amish.

[case thrower]

My mother's parents were born in Vodslivy and Ostredek which are now in the Central Bohemian District of the Czech Republic.  I believe my grandmother came to the US in the early 1920s and she identified herself as Bohemian and that was the language that was spoken in her house.  In the 70s my mother went to Plzen to visit some of her cousins.  Plzen is about 70 miles as the crow flies from where my grandparents were born.

[S. cerevisiae]

If you look at old census data from the late nineteenth century/early twentieth century, you will find that Czechs referred to their country of origin as Bohemia.   

[Steve Ruch]

Or Lothar the Barbarian

Any relation to Cohen the Barbarian?

[morticaixavier]

Or Lothar the Barbarian

Any relation to Cohen the Barbarian?

shoup

[blatz]

Or Lothar the Barbarian

Any relation to Cohen the Barbarian?

shoup

I thought he was a hill person?

[klickitat jim]

This guy


Not this guy

[blatz]

I was trying to be funny 

[klickitat jim]

I was trying to be funny 

Me too. When am I not?

[erockrph]

Or Lothar the Barbarian

Any relation to Cohen the Barbarian?

shoup

I thought he was a hill person?

Like this guy?

[klickitat jim]

Or Lothar the Barbarian

Any relation to Cohen the Barbarian?

shoup

I thought he was a hill person?

Like this guy?

No, thats the lead singer from Midnight Oil

[HoosierBrew]

No, thats the lead singer from Midnight Oil

   Yeah, close enough.