My great grandfather from Colmar was he German or French

by THM
(Marseille, France)

Hi,

I'm wondering about my great grand father. Was he German or french when he was born in Colmar in 1887?

Thanks,
THM

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great grand father born in Colmar
by: Suzele

Hi,

If your great grandfather was born in Colmar in 1887, he was technically born into the German Empire.

So his birth certificate should say he was German.

And it would have been written in German too.

But I've seen plenty of Alsace birth certificates from before Alsace became part of the German Empire that were also written in German - because most Alsatians spoke a Germanic dialect.

Which means that a lot was written in some form of Germanic language.

Plenty of documennts were written in French by the French government - after the French Revolution.

But most Alsatians didn't speak French very much if at all.

Not the average Alsatian person anyway.

Hope it helps,
Suzele

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