Hello GenTravelers!
Many of you may have ancestry from the old European region of Prussia. How is your research going? Dan Billington wrote an article called “Postcards from Prussia” in the November 2011 Family Tree magazine. He began his article by telling how, as a child, his aunt told him of her great-grandmother’s journey from old Prussia who apparently brought with her a samovar which is now a family heirloom. Dan says that “from that day I was hooked on family history”.
The article does a good job of explaining the history of Prussia and the genealogical challenges of researching migrant families from that area. It lists quite a few resources to check, so if you have Prussian ancestors, be sure read the full article.
Where was Prussia?
In 1832, Prussia covered an area from (what is now) the west of Berlin to north-west, and into the north-east of Poland.”
“Prussia was much fought over between 1870 and 1945….Place names…have often changed”
Dan ends the article by saying “You’ll need perseverance to research your Prussian ancestors but you will gain a wider understanding of the region’s culture and history.” How true that is of whatever location we’re researching! And GenTraveling can give us an even wider understanding!
So, are you planning your GenTraveling yet? Where do you plan to go? Be sure to share your GenTraveling Bucket list on our Bucket List Page. GenTraveling: It’s the Real Deal Thrill!
This is interesting indeed. Prussia was an “outlier” of the Germanic states, but it did go on to unify them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“In 1832, Prussia covered an area from (what is now) the west of Berlin to north-west, and into the north-east of Poland… was much fought over between 1870 and 1945….Place names…have often changed”
When I was searching for information about my maternal great grandparents, I also came upon this historical fact and, for me, it was one of those ‘ah-ha!’ moments, explaining why, in 1892, my gg grandfather, Ernst Unger, who lived in Saxony (a region near Dresden which was Prussia then), went to Bremen, boarded a ship and traveled to the U.S. When you discover these facts on world history, you ultimately find out more about your ancestors too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely! It sounds like you have had some success with you family history. Best of luck with further research! If you have any GenTraveling stories/experiences, we’d love to hear about them! Take care.
LikeLike