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From: "Dave Witthans" <>
Subject: Census says Nativity "Poland Gr"? And, Ouragons
Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2004 14:00:51 -0700



Dear Ouragons*, I mean, Oregonians,

My father's ancestors said they were from Germany.

However, on the 1900 US Census, my Great-Grand-Mother's entry states in her three Nativity columns that she was born in "Poland Gr". It looks like "Gr". Nativity columns are for place of birth for the person, and the person's father and mother.

Does this mean in or near Germany, Greece, Great Britain...? I doubt that it means the town of Poland in Germany. Most of the people in her south-west Chicago neighborhood had the same entries, at least for their father and mother.

I do have a document that says her son was born in Germany, yet his line has the same Nativity entries.

She did not speak English, so maybe she did not give the right answers. She lived with her son and daughter-in-law.

Thanks for any explanations, Dave Witthans

* Sunday's Oregonian shows where the name Oregon came from: a Native American term for "Beautiful River"!

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