Hi Listers: I was getting too weary last night to finish my "lecture". HISTORY - history - history is the most important adjunct to our genealogical research. I cannot emphasize that enough. Without at least a smattering of knowledge of our ancestors times and places you are missing a lot. I am often appalled at how little history - and geography - some of our members know. Admittedly, local German history is difficult to come by here but there are many ways of obtaining it. Almost every little village has a little paperback of local history and most will be happy to send you a copy - often free. The German National Tourist office in NY will send you an excellent map and info in English about any area you ask for.
Also listen to Fred - he may be gRump-y at times but his history is impeccable - as is mine. When I see questions like "Where is Brunswick and Braunschweig?" I cringe. Didn't your teachers always say "Look it up!" Or is it simply easier to ask the list? Thank heavens for all the kind obliging people on the list.
Herewith some corrections and misapprehensions I've seen on the recent discussions:
I'm very surprised none of you professors caught this one - or are you all too young? Roosevelt, not Truman (Rena, note correct spelling) was at the Yalta Conference with Stalin and Churchill. Three sickly old men - two crippled and one in poor health, one already insane, another on the verge and the third bitterly vengeful (understandably so) - decided the fate of Germany. It was so secret at the time that we'll never really know what went on but it appears that it was Stalin's threats to continue the war and spread Communism across the rest of Europe and even the rest of the world that made Roosevelt and Churchill cave under and allow Russian troops to cross Germany as far as the Elbe. They were not that far yet. Gen. Patton was ready to occupy all of Germany but under orders from Roosevelt, Eisenhower held back gasoline supplies for his tanks, etc. and he could not go further. Later he was shot in the back (friendly fire!!!).
Re Bismarck: He was certainly one of the most brilliant diplomats of modern times but also the most devious and conniving. He threatened Hannover when she would not join the Prussian Zollverein, saying "If you don't join us, we will consider you our enemy". Hence, Langensalza. He "punished" Hannover in many ways, e.g. He withheld the pay of Hannover soldiers drafted into the Prussian army until their entire 3-year stint was up: others were paid quarterly. He stole the entire Welf fortune. The Welf (the ruling family of Hannover) up to that time had been one of the oldest and certainly the wealthiest royal family in all of Europe and sent King Georg V and Queen Marie into exile. (Queen Marie and my gr-grandmother were friends until her death - another interesting story). Bismarck used much of the stolen money to fund his huge military as Prussia was very poor but he also used some of to bribe some of the southern states to join Prussia, e.g. he gave a huge sum to crazy Ludwig of Bavaria for his castle-building projects. As to what people thought of him - most hated him at first but by the time the next generation came along they revered him as the 'saviour' who had finally united Germany.
Thirty-years War: The most devastating in German history - they still refer to it as 'the Great War'. It all began as a quasi-religious mostly political war when Friedrich von der Pfalz (Palatine) and his wife Elizabeth Stuart decided to accept an invitation to become King of Bohemia, which at the time was mostly Lutheran. Bohemia lay outside the HREmpire but the Emperor long coveted it and was also a fanatical Catholic. The first half of the war was mostly religious - Catholic south against Protestant North, but in the second half it became decidedly political and international. Sweden came in on the side of the Lutherans and Spain on the side of the Catholics - and strangely Richelieu, that ardent persecutor of the Huguenots, brought France in on the Lutheran side!!! only because he hated the Habsburgs so.
Re our "Barbarian" ancestors the ancient Saxons (yes, they were cousins of the Saxons who went to England). They were one of the very few tribes who were not lured by the riches of Rome. They had a rich land of farms, forests and rivers and were quite content to remain there. However, Charlemagne (Karl der Grosse) coveted their land and it took him ten whole years to conquer them.
And then came the "conversion" by the sword. Altho pockets of the old religion remained here and there at least up to the Reformation if not later. My grandmother, as intelligent and fairly well-educated as she was, still held on to many of the old "pagan" superstitions.
Now for those who find history 'boring' or too difficult to come by, may I suggest once again that you read my trilogy "The Saxon Chronicle" - see my website http://saxonchronicle.hypermart.net I deliberately wrote it in fiction because a genealogy, after all, is a mere skeleton; history might flesh it out a bit; but only using fiction could I bring these ancestor to life - their loves and lives, their successes and failures, what their thoughts and reactions to the history they lived thru might have been. Yes, it is fiction, but my historical research is as accurate as I could make it. It is a very easy read. I guarantee you will love it - and learn a lot, too.
My best wishes to all for a Happy and blessed New Year. LOL, Jane
Und zu allen deutschen Freunden w�nche ich ein gl�ckliches Neues Jahr. MFG, Jane
Jane Swan
jeswansong@earthlink.net
Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.