Has anyone heard of Burdiay, Germany or Poland? The spelling of "Burdiay" is
from the 1920 USA Federal Census where John Schaeffer put his father, Joseph
Schaeffer as being born. Joseph Schaeffer was born June of 1821 and came to
America sometime in the 1850s. He marred a Mary (V) or Willet in 1859 in
Milwaukee, WI. Joseph wouldn't tell any of his family anything about his
homeland or family there, because he thought his family would be murdered by
the Kaiser. Would anyone know why Joseph was so afraid of the Kaiser even up
to his death in the early 1900s?
Thanks,
Vikki
Vikki,
Sounds like a funny story shaped by World War I American phantasies (you
know, movies like "The Kaiser, Beast of Berlin" since good old Wilhelm was
not in the habit of murdering people).
But perhaps it has a real core in the sense that your grandfather had a
reason to worry. Assuming the best (that he did not do anything icky), there
are two reasons why many young men would feel queasy about going back to
their hometowns.
1.Quite a number of young men emigrated without first doing their military
duty in Prussia. Such people, when they visited Germany decades later,
(before 1918, that is), would be prosecuted, though generally nothing worse
happened to them than to either pay a fine, or, if not yet US citizens, just
do the 3 years on the spot.
2. Another possibility, looking at the date of emigration, could be
political, connected to the failed German Revolution of 1848-49. Check if
your ancestor was a member of the local Turnverein, at the time
left-leaning.
Also, Is there an obituary in a Milwaukee German paper that states more
details about his birthplace?
Good luck searching,
Thomas