Alsatian Village My Family Came from

by Dion Dittrich
(Washington, Iowa)

Hi

I'm trying to find the location of a village which may not even exist anymore.

My Family Dittrich came from Heidelschitz Alsace Lorraine. This info was passed down orally so I'm not even sure of the spelling.

Have you ever heard of anything close?

Thanks so much,
Dion Dittrich

Comments for Alsatian Village My Family Came from

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

Rating

Your Alsace Family Village
by: Suzele

Hi Dion,

I wish I could shed some light on your family's village here in Alsace.

Do you have any idea of the last person to immigrate to the US from Alsace?

About when was the last mention of Heidelschitz?

Trying to think of any variations that I can and I've not come up with much.

The closest I saw was Heidelsheim near Karlsruhe in Germany. Normally I can find even hamlets and disappeared settlements.

But your last name is a great one.
Dietrich is an established last name in Alsace (and elsewhere). Good news and bad news.

Dittrich is just a spelling variation of it.
It would be pronounced like this and so the spelling evolved (maybe even before the arrival in the US).

I would make a guess for Northern Alsace. But there are equal numbers of Dittrichs in Alsace in the south and the north.

Not tons of them by the way. This spelling is not super common here now.

Which might suggest that the misspelling happened when they arrived in the US.

There were nearly none in Lorraine, which I expected. So either they are more established in Germany or the name changed in the US.

Hope your family tree searches are going well!
I'd love to hear about it!

Suzele

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to France and Genealogy.

Need More Alsace Vacation Ideas?

23 Adorable Alsace Villages
to Discover
(with Local Advice)

9 Alsace Towns and Cities
You Should Know About

Planning Your Alsace Vacation:
Get Started Right
(with Local Advice)

The Alsace Travel Guide
(Written by Locals Who Love it)