Date Approved
2019
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department or School
Geography and Geology
Committee Member
William Welsh, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Dan Bonenberger, M.A.
Committee Member
John Oswald, Ph.D.
Abstract
The Old Lutherans constituted fewer than 20% of the Germans who emigrated from Prussia between 1835 and 1854. In this study, more than 483 cities and villages of origin of 6,911 Old Lutherans were mapped. These origins were in the central provinces of Brandenburg, Pomerania, Posen, Saxony, and Silesia. More emigrants came from Pomerania overall and during every time period except 1849-54. The areas with the most emigrants were north central Pomerania, northern Brandenburg, southeast Brandenburg, and western Silesia. Emigrant destinations were primarily America and Australia. American destinations included New York, Wisconsin, and Texas, but the state that many went to has not yet been discovered. Some overlap of source and destination occurred when examining the overall emigration, but extremely little occurred during each of the time periods reviewed. More than 83% of emigrant origins were within 15 miles of a major river, the primary source of transportation.
Recommended Citation
Seewald, Joel, "GIS analysis of the mid-nineteenth century emigration of the Old Lutherans from Prussia" (2019). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 977.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/977