Germany Historical Geography: Difference between revisions

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More information about four of the most complex states follows.<br>Preußen. The largest, most powerful German state was Preußen (Prussia). It was divided into 13 large provinces (see p. 35). Only two of the provinces had the name “Preußen” in them, but citizens from all 13 provinces were Prussians. Thus, a resident of Rheinland often said that he or she was from Preußen.<br>Most Prussian emigrants to foreign countries came from the provinces of Rheinland, Hessen-Nassau, or Westfalen. The catalog lists each town in Preußen behind its state and province, as in this example:<br>GERMANY, PREUßEN, RHEINLAND, THÜR.<br>Sachsen. Sachsen (Saxony) covered a wide band of Germany from the North Sea to the Czech Republic.<br>The three modern German states carrying this name are Niedersachsen, Sachsen, and Sachsen-Anhalt. The Family History Library Catalog lists several old Empire states under Sachsen:<br>Sachsen (the kingdom)<br>Preußen Sachsen (the province)<br>Thüringen (the Duchies of Sachsen)<br>Sachsen-Altenburg<br>Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha<br>Sachsen-Meiningen<br>Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach<br>When using the International Genealogical Index on compact disc, you can filter on “Sachsen” (the kingdom), "Prussia" (including the province of Sachsen), and “Thuringen” (including the Duchies of Sachsen).<br>Thüringen. Eight duchies and principalities of Sachsen became the state of Thüringen (Thuringia) in 1920. Records for towns in Thüringen are listed twice in the catalog: once under Thüringen and once under the duchy or principality. For example, the same record is cataloged under both GERMANY, THÜRINGEN, SULZE and GERMANY, SACHSENALTENBURG, SULZE.<br>The duchies and principalities of Sachsen (Thüringen) were Reuß ältere Linie, Reuß jüngere Linie, Sachsen-Altenburg, Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, Sachsen-Meiningen, Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen. The Coburg part of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha joined Bayern in 1920 and is listed under Bayern instead of Thüringen in the catalog.<br>Pfalz. The Pfalz (Palatinate) on the French border in southwest Germany was devastated in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648). After the war, settlers from other parts of Germany and Switzerland were attracted to help repopulate the area. In the 1800s, more people emigrated to foreign countries from the Pfalz than from any other part of Germany. The Pfalz has been associated with Bayern most of the time since 1214.<br>Therefore, the Place Search of the Family History Library Catalog lists towns in the Pfalz under BAYERN. For example, the town of Kaiserslautern in the Pfalz would actually be listed as GERMANY, BAYERN, KAISERSLAUTERN.