From which regions of Germany do German americans have their ancestry from?

[WhatsGoingOnBigGuy]

My great, great, great grandfather came from Bavaria.

[Peterski]

When I lived in PA Dutch Country, most of the German-Americans had ancestry from southern and western Germany, including Amish and Mennonites. I'm sure that is true throughout much of America, esp the Midwest.

On GEDmatch I found many Eastern Germans from Wisconsin.

[Mr.G]

My German family, almost all West German. A couple of lines, very far back, go to Bavaria and Prussia.

[Dawnbringer]

Pennsylvania Dutch are exclusively from Western and Southwestern Germany (along with Alsace and Northern Switzerland) with a common rendezvous point for many of the migrants being the Rhine Palatinate.

19th Century German immigrants come from a much wider area. The most densely populated area in Germany from then all the way to now is the Northern Rhinelands, but not that many 19th Century immigrants came from there because it was so prosperous. Many more came from the stretch of the Rhine south of Cologne and parts of the Main river, which were the next densely populated areas. After that the next major region is Mecklenburg-Schwerin and West Pomerania in the Northeast.

Here’s a map of the last major wave of German immigration to the U.S. in late 19th Century:

[PaleoEuropean]

[Peterski]

(...)

What about Poles? Do you have some data?

According to Wacław Kruszka more Poles came from Prussian Poland than from Russian Poland, and the smallest number from Austrian Poland.

I'm not sure those figures can be trusted.

[Gwydion]

In my area it was mostly Western Germany and the Rhineland early on, though many from the Northwest bordering the Netherlands and from North Frisia came with the Dutch to NY/NJ. For example two distant German ancestors on my father's side came in the late 17th/early 18th century from Oldenburg and Hamburg.

My mother's 19th century German ancestry comes from 3 locations: two grandparents were from Prussia (likely true Prussia rather than Prussia's acquired Western territories), one was from Bad Durkheim in the Rhineland, and the other was from Lohr am Main in Lower Franconia, technically part of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

[Peterski]

Okay I think I have found the explanation.

In 1850-1899 the largest group of Polish immigrants came from Prussia, but in 1900-1914 mainly from Russia and Austria.

Wacław Kruszka's data is until year 1900.

[Dawnbringer]

What about Poles? Do you have some data?

According to Wacław Kruszka more Poles came from Prussian Poland than from Russian Poland, and the smallest number from Austrian Poland.

I'm not sure those figures can be trusted.

At the very beginning of the main wave of Polish immigrants (1870-1914) that is definitely correct, however by 1880 Galician Polish immigration was greater than Prussian Polish immigration, and by the 20th Century Russian Polish immigration was dominant.
https://books.google.com/books?id=ig...DoATACegQIARAQ

[Westbrook]

Mine came from all over