On Thursday 17 June 2004 14:23 Rich from LA CA wrote: > It was Germany at the time, it was conquered, the records are > still in the place, but now it is found in Russia. Maybe that > is why he left? The Germans left, those staying behind became > Russians of German extraction.
Sorry, but this is incorrect and is based on that lack of familiarity many Americans have with the difference between 'nation' and 'country' (or 'state'). A 'nation' shares a common heritage, a common language, a common religion, etc. Those staying behind would still be considered Germans. In Russia today, there is a clear distinction between Russians (who are Orthodox Christians), Poles (who follow the Vatican), Germans (who are Lutherans), etc. Similarly, Orthodox Christians (whose heritage is Russian) living in Poland consider themselves Russians, not Poles. They may live in the *country* (or state) of Poland, but their *nationality* is Russian, not Polish. Likewise, someone living in Greece is considered a Turk if they are Muslim -- and if a Greek converts to Islam, they are considered no longer Greek, but Turk. The same attitude, in reverse, exists in Turkey. T.R. Legacy User Group Etiquette guidelines can be found at: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp To find past messages, please go to our searchable archives at: http://www.mail-archive.com/legacyusergroup%40mail.millenniacorp.com/ To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/LegacyLists.asp
