Re: Leipzig Document
-
In reply to:
Leipzig Document
John Lohman 5/02/10
John, one question:You say that your grandfather was born in 1868 and arrived in America in 1973!That's obviously a typo.What was his actual year of arrival?
Just like the U.S., Germany, too, has always been made up os STATES.Your grandfather was from the German state of SAXONY (in German: Sachsen), the capital of which is the city of DRESDEN, and the largest city in which is LEIPZIG.
If he had ever served in the Army and he was from Saxony, then he would have served in the Saxon Army, not the Prussian Army.He wouldn't have served in the Army of a different state.
However -- if he was born in Schönebeck -- or if written without the "Umlaut" (two dots) over the "o", Schoenebeck -- then he wasn't born in the state of Saxony, because Schönebeck (Schoenebeck) was located in what was until 1945 Germany's largest state by far, PRUSSIA (in German: Preussen), the capital of which was the city of BERLIN.(Following German unification in 1871, Berlin became Germany's national capital as well.)Because of its vast size, Prussia was divided into PROVINCES.
Schönebeck (Schoenebeck) was located in what was until 1945 the PRUSSIAN PROVINCE of SAXONY (in German: Provinz Sachsen), the provincial capital of which was the city of MAGDEBURG.Schönebeck (Schoenebeck) is located on the Elbe River, about 10 miles or so south of Magdeburg.
The former Prussian Province of Saxony is of course not to be confused with the state of Saxony.So it is possible that your grandfather served in the Prussian Army, depending on where he actually grew up.You failed to mention in your posting when he was born, and you made the error in the year he came to America.
Following World War II and the break-up of the vast state of Prussia by the Allies, most of the former Prussian Province of Saxony and the very small German state of Anhalt (capital: Dessau) combined to form today's new postwar German state of SAXONY-ANHALT (in German: Sachsen-Anhalt), with the city of MAGDEBURG as its capital.
From what you've written here, I think the translation of your document leaves something to be desired, by the way.
Robert