Greetings, fellow Teutons

[Von Braun]

Many of you may already know me. My name is Matt, and I was born and raised in the vicinity of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My mother's side of the family is entirely German (and I have been told that I take after her side of the family), having come to Wisconsin around the middle of the 19th century. They were dairy farmers. My grandfather, who was born here, even has a slight German accent, no doubt the result of living in a small isolated relatively homogenous farming community. Wisconsin is the most German state in the u.s., by percentage. Every year there are German-related ethnic festivals. The architecture and street names in Milwaukee also reflect the influence of the 19th century German pioneers.

I also most likely have Germanic ancestry by way of France (Alsace) and Britain, both from my father's side of the family. My father also has some Swiss ancestry, and a tiny amount of direct German ancestry. My father's branches came to North America in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries.

[Scáthach]

i thought you had irish ancestry?

[Loki]

Originally posted by Von Braun
Many of you may already know me. My name is Matt, and I was born and raised in the vicinity of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My mother's side of the family is entirely German (and I have been told that I take after her side of the family), having come to Wisconsin around the middle of the 19th century. They were dairy farmers. My grandfather, who was born here, even has a slight German accent, no doubt the result of living in a small isolated relatively homogenous farming community. Wisconsin is the most German state in the u.s., by percentage. Every year there are German-related ethnic festivals. The architecture and street names in Milwaukee also reflect the influence of the 19th century German pioneers.

I also most likely have Germanic ancestry by way of France (Alsace) and Britain, both from my father's side of the family. My father also has some Swiss ancestry, and a tiny amount of direct German ancestry. My father's branches came to North America in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries.

Thanks for visiting the Germanic forum, Von Braun. I hope your stay is pleasant, causing you to frequently return

Yes, I am aware of the fact that your "neck of the woods" so-to-speak is rather German in ancestry. There is an awful lot of German blood in America. German & Irish are the main ethnic roots for "European Americans". So why didn't you guys ditch the English language??

Well Von Braun, it seems you have deep Germanic roots in Europe. If you ever get the chance, do visit your ancestral homelands... you will not be disappointed.

[Von Braun]

Originally posted by Scathach
i thought you had irish ancestry?

I believe that you are referring to my introduction post in the Celtic forum.

The main basis of my posting there was my French and English ancestry. Both countries were culturually Celtic countries in pre-Roman times and of course there are Celtic descendants there to this day.

There were Irish and Scottish peoples in close proximity to my French ancestors in Canada. Irish ancestry is a possibility, not a certainty.

[Von Braun]

Do you have an Oktober Fest there?

We do have one in Milwauukee, but I never went there. It is a bit late in the summer (September). Here is some information on it: http://www.officialmilwaukee.com/lis...ID=309%ACify=1

Masses of krauts sitting in tents or gardens, swallowing liters of beer, eating weisswurst, while listening to German volksmusik? To which other German festivals are you referring?

I have been to German Fest, which takes place in late July on the shores of Lake Michigan. There is folk dancing, a huge selection of beer, German food, German music and a whole assortment of activities. I have been there a few different years. One year, I played chess agaisnt an expert who simultaneously played about a dozen other people. This gives plenty of information on this festival: http://www.germanfest.com/

Are there still pockets in Wisconsin, where people speak German as a mother tongue?

Yes. The Amish still live in small communities in central Wisconsin and they speak German. My mother's family lives near an Amish community.

By the way, the student union (a campus building for recreation and student meetings) at UW-Madison is the only (or one of the only) unions in the u.s. that serves beer. In the u.s., most states have 21 as the legal drinking age, so most places would encounter the situations in which seniors could buy beer for freshmen, who would typically be under age. But this campus has long been an exception. The beer is served in the Rothskellar (sp?) which is a room in the union decorated with medeval German images and writing. This room faces Lake Mendota, a big glacial lake (carved out during the last glacial epoch, which was named after Wisconsin), and on the outside is a big tiered patio where people can sit, drink beer, look at the lake, and listen to live bands which play many nights during the summer.