Historicity:

[jrittenhouse]

Yes, I know I’m considered to be a real bug about such things, especially in alternate history fiction….

For my Swedish and Swedish-American readers in particular: Does THE EMIGRANTS / THE NEW LAND (Utvandrarna / Nybyggarna) strike you as real, as something that sounds/feels/is right in regards to the Swedish emigration to North America? (Others

Comments

[jrittenhouse]

Being Dutch/German from Ohio, I'll point out the following:

(1) My family (Rittenhouses) were some of the original Dutch/Germans in Pennsylvania; the Amish and other Mennonite groups came out around 1680 and into the 1700s. They're part of what you call 'Pennsylvania Dutch', although that 'Dutch' is really more 'Deutsch' (German), if you get my meaning. This sort speak a low-German dialect or the honest-to-goodness PD dialect. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_German_language )

(2) There are a TON of Germans in Ohio; make a imaginary belt about 80-100 miles north and south of I-70. Start that line about 20 miles east of Columbus, Ohio, and run it through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and about 50 miles or more past St. Louis. Most of these came over between 1830 and 1860, especially after the upsets in Europe in 1848. Most are Catholic Germans from the Rhineland. Cincinnati is a VERY German and Catholic city.

(3) And then there's the last bunch that came over during and after the Civil War, to places like Milwaukee and parts further west in the Midwest.

Groups (1) and (2) mostly came from Northwest and Western German; Group (3) came from central and eastern Germany.

See also:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAEgermany.htm

German migration to the US

[jdonat]

The Donath family is from around Strasbourg -when they moved to the US, it was German... So after 1871. On my Mom's side the Riefstahl family is from around Berlin, and they moved to the US just before the Civil War. From what I've found, firstly the family name probably was Riefenstahl (like the famous 1930's producer).. and she was from around Berlin, too... hm...... And the Riefstahl's (Americanized spelling), at least one fought for the Union from Illinois. I'm still doing lots of digging on both sides -unfortunately, the Donath side is difficult, as Strasbourg has been knocked flat a bunch of times between 1871 and now.

Re: German migration to the US

[jrittenhouse]

The Gaible family (my mom's mom) were from Belfort, and came over about the time of the Civil War; somewhat Frenchified Germans, basically. They were the last of my back-family to come to America; everyone else came in in the period 1680-1750.

When did they drop the 'h' at the end of the name? My name got 'englished' when the Rittenhousii came over in the 1680s.

Re: German migration to the US

[jdonat]

Donath became Donat in 1917. Too German, evidently. The funny thing is that I've been to Germany 3 times. Every time my hotel reservations have the 'h' added to the name. When they see my CC without the 'h' they apologize, and I have to explain that my Great Grandfather pulled it during the First World War.
A couple of my Grandfather's brothers added it back in sometime after WWI.. My family didn't.