| The more I involve myself in genealogy research, | | | | some further knowledge about my family and |
| the more curious and interested I become with | | | | their neighbors. Examples of some common |
| other aspects of history that I might not have | | | | words include: |
| otherwise given much thought to. | | | | Bach - Brook, Baum - Tree, Berg - Mountain, Born |
| Take for example, the names of German cities, | | | | - Fount, Braun - Brown, Bruck - Bridge, Burg - |
| towns and villages. Oftentimes while researching, I | | | | Castle, Feld - Field, Garten - Garden, Hafen - |
| have stopped and pondered a name, wondering | | | | Harbor, Heim - Home, Hof - Yard, Kirch - Church, |
| what it meant, why it received such a name, and | | | | Loch - Hole, Rath - Clearing, Schied - Separated, |
| about the people who called such places 'home'. | | | | Parted, Tal - Valley, Wald - Forest |
| German and American localities share many of | | | | Using this understanding of stadts, dorfs and |
| the same physical characteristics as one another. | | | | weilers, and throwing their characteristics into the |
| Three types of these localities that I found worth | | | | mix with some of the aforementioned root words |
| referencing, and briefly discussed, are "Stadt, | | | | produces some fun and informative translations of |
| Dorf, and Weiler". | | | | the names I've seen over the years. It is easy to |
| German towns and cities are both generally | | | | understand why some places, like Falkenberg, the |
| referred to as stadts. A stadt is a locality with a | | | | "Falcon's Mountain" and Rastenfeld, "Resting Fields" |
| large number of inhabitants, buildings, and | | | | have received their names; others, like |
| significant businesses. Stadts are complete with | | | | Langschlag, "Long Hit", and Raschdorf, "Rapid |
| their own local government and serve as a civil | | | | Village", are less obvious. Some other locality |
| center for the surrounding area. When stadt | | | | examples and their name meanings: |
| comes to my mind, I think of the cities and | | | | Allenfeld - All Field, Badenheim - Bathing Home, |
| towns, with their hustle and bustle, around my | | | | Bärenbach - Bear Brook, Bayerfeld - |
| own home. | | | | Bavarian Field, Braunweiler - Brown Hamlet, |
| A dorf is known to most people as a village. | | | | Derental - Their Valley, Desloch - The Hole, |
| These localities are smaller than a stadt, but they | | | | Feuerscheid - Parted Fire, Fischersdorf - Fishing |
| have their own local government, church, school, | | | | Village, Friedrichhafen - Frederick's Harbor, |
| and assortment of businesses. You might think of | | | | Guldental - Golden Valley, Gutenberg - Good |
| a dorf as surburbia - those places a short drive | | | | Mountain, Hallgarten - Resounding Garden, |
| out of the city that offer a little more breathing | | | | Hochstätten - High Places, Hundsbach - Dog |
| room for residents. | | | | Brook, Johannesgarten - John's Garden, |
| A weiler is akin to a hamlet. These very small | | | | Münster - Cathedral, Nußbaum - Nut |
| localities often have only a small number of | | | | Tree, Rehbach - Deer Brook, Schöneberg - |
| houses, with no local administration and generally | | | | Beautiful Mountain, Schönewald - Beautiful |
| no church. Residents of a hamlet are typically | | | | Forest, Sommerloch - Summer Hole, |
| administered by the local government and church | | | | Vierkirchen - Four Churches, Wallhausen - Living |
| of a larger village that they belong to. When I | | | | Barrier, Weinsheim - Wine Home, Weitersborn - |
| think of a weiler, I think of rural America; getting | | | | Far Fount, Windesheim - Wind Home, |
| away from it all; blinking while I'm passing through | | | | Winterbach - Winter Brook, Winterburg - Winter |
| and missing the place altogether; and how far a | | | | Castle, Zweibrucken - Two Bridges |
| 'country mile' really is. | | | | The next time you come across an interesting |
| I have found that referencing these names - | | | | locality name while reading through a history book, |
| stadt, dorf and weiler - to their American | | | | viewing a microfilm, scanning a census record or |
| counterparts - city, village and hamlet - has helped | | | | perusing a naturalization record, do yourself a |
| my understanding of my ancestors with their | | | | favor. Stop for a moment and consider the |
| surroundings. | | | | name, what it means today, and what it meant |
| There are also a number of common root words | | | | to the inhabitants of that place years ago. Aside |
| associated with some of these localities. Again, | | | | from a translation, it might just give you a bit |
| having come across these words with some | | | | more insight into the lives of the people that called |
| regularity, I thought it would be useful to find out | | | | such a place 'home'. |
| what they meant, and in doing so, perhaps gain | | | | |