On May 20, 9:59*am, "Martin Rowley"
wrote:
snip all

... this I found a year or so back which is interesting - lays out the
suggestion that the increased emigration from German states was
*possibly* a consequence of this historically severe winter ...

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.c...mnotes/germhs4...

The protestant reformation was particularly inclined to schisms of a
bloodthirsty nature with people like Calvin trying to usurp any work
that Luther had instigated.

But the fact was any feudal state -of which Germany was several in
those days, contained thousands of people who would do almost anything
to go where land was free. The same thing happened in Montanna in the
early 20th century.

They'd rather live in houses built of roofing felt and 2 x 1 batons
and no ameneties for dozens -even scores of miles, not even roads,
rather than stick it out in the slums of any of the big cities.

I doubt very much that the weather would even occur to people in such
situations. Who would tell them it was unusual? They wouldn't make any
plans based on it.

Would you?