In the 1670's, the first German groups of consequence arrived in the British colonies, settling primarily in New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Between 1820 and 1870 over seven and a half million German immigrants came to the United States—more than doubling the entire population of the country.
Germans settled all over the United States. They established communities in the northeast cities of Syracuse, Baltimore, New York and Hoboken, They also settled in the mid-west cities of Milwaukee, Chicago, Louisville, and Omaha. In the south, they settled in New Orleans, Houston and Galveston.
My German speaking ancestors arrived in the 19th century.. Hilsenheim, Alsace, is near the Franco-German border. Although those ancestors spoke German, their birth, marriage and death records are written in French because at the time France occupied the country. Other German ancestors were from Bavaria, Austria, and Posen (now Poland). All settled in the DuPage County, Illinois, area.
When researching German ancestors, a knowledge of basic German words is essential, along with a familiarity of German handwriting. I also needed to know French for the Alsace ancestors. The area where my grandmother, Hilda, was born changed occupancy several times. The area was known as Germany, Prussia, Posen and finally Poland. The archives that contain my ancestors' German records are housed in the Polish archives. It is wise to have a knowledge of the history of the area to better understand where the records might be retained.
Today, most German Americans have assimilated to the point that they no longer have readily identifiable ethnic communities. We as German Americans can be proud of our heritage. German Americans established the first kindergartens in the United States, introduced the Christmas tree tradition, and introduced popular foods such as hot dogs and hamburgers to America.
