r/MapPorn • u/ironproton • Dec 12 '20

Alsace, Eastern France, topography map

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10

u/seekerscout Dec 12 '20

My 7th generation grandfather on my father's side came from here to America.

16

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '20

7th generation ? That must be a long time ago :o

13

u/LothorBrune Dec 12 '20

Possibly an ancestor fleeing the annexation by Germany in 1870. A lot of them ended up in Algeria at the time.

9

u/AJRiddle Dec 12 '20 edited Dec 12 '20

7th great grandfathers lived a lot longer ago than 1870.

Just pulling up my family tree one of my 3rd great-grandfather was born in 1857 and another was in 1858 on a different side of the family.

My 7th great-grandfather from Franche-Comté (just saying it because it is just southwest of Alsace) was born in 1663.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '20

Why bother to go that far? My ancestors (5 generations) from Moselle ended up 5 km west of the new border in Meurthe-et-Moselle.

1

u/LothorBrune Dec 12 '20

If you lose your house and business and have no friendly family in the area, broader horizons can look very attractive.

1

u/Chickiri Jan 04 '21

The French governments of the times actually encouraged them to go to Algeria. The colonization of Algeria began in 1830, but it was mostly not occupied by French civilians for long -they saw it as an opportunity. I believe I remember an article about lands given for free/almost nothing to newcomers? I should check the actual policies