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<br>When the French were expelled from the German territories, the language, including names, returned to German. Unfortunately, some areas ceased keeping civil records at this time. | <br>When the French were expelled from the German territories, the language, including names, returned to German. Unfortunately, some areas ceased keeping civil records at this time. | ||
<br>One of the goals of the French Republic was to create a society based solely on reason. This meant eradicating all vestiges of superstition and religion. One area that has been determined by religion is that of the calendar. Many month and weekdays are named for various gods. The length of the week, for example, reflects the Judeo-Christian tradition and the numbering of years is based on the life of Jesus Christ. Given this, the Republicans felt a new system of time keeping was necessary. So, a new calendar was created whose epoch was to begin with the founding of the French Republic on 22 September, 1792, although it was not put into use until October, 1793. It is crucial to know that the years and months of the Republican calendar do not correspond to those of the Gregorian. The 22nd of September, 1792 was Year One, the 1st of the month of Vendemaire in the French Republican calendar. Click here for a detailed explanation of the [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/French_Republican_Calendar French Republican calendar], including conversion tables | <br>One of the goals of the French Republic was to create a society based solely on reason. This meant eradicating all vestiges of superstition and religion. One area that has been determined by religion is that of the calendar. Many month and weekdays are named for various gods. The length of the week, for example, reflects the Judeo-Christian tradition and the numbering of years is based on the life of Jesus Christ. Given this, the Republicans felt a new system of time keeping was necessary. So, a new calendar was created whose epoch was to begin with the founding of the French Republic on 22 September, 1792, although it was not put into use until October, 1793. It is crucial to know that the years and months of the Republican calendar do not correspond to those of the Gregorian. The 22nd of September, 1792 was Year One, the 1st of the month of Vendemaire in the French Republican calendar. Click here for a detailed explanation of the [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/French_Republican_Calendar French Republican calendar], including conversion tables. | ||
<br>Finally, we consider the military. The French kept Europe in a constant state of turmoil/warfare for the better part of 25 years, from the early 1790s till 1815. Many of the German states were often on the French side, as they were too weak to withstand French invasion alone. In the later years, particularly in 1813, many states switched sides to the allies. Regardless of which side any particular state fought on, the social consequences were enormous. First, large numbers of men were conscripted into the various armies. Unfortunately, the value of such military records is limited because of the paucity of information that many of them give and difficulty in finding an individual. Searching such records is also often very time-consuming. Click here for further reading about [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/France_Military_Records French ]and [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Germany_Military_Records German military records]. | <br>Finally, we consider the military. The French kept Europe in a constant state of turmoil/warfare for the better part of 25 years, from the early 1790s till 1815. Many of the German states were often on the French side, as they were too weak to withstand French invasion alone. In the later years, particularly in 1813, many states switched sides to the allies. Regardless of which side any particular state fought on, the social consequences were enormous. First, large numbers of men were conscripted into the various armies. Unfortunately, the value of such military records is limited because of the paucity of information that many of them give and difficulty in finding an individual. Searching such records is also often very time-consuming. Click here for further reading about [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/France_Military_Records French ]and [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Germany_Military_Records German military records]. | ||