The village of Ostheim, origin of 4 of the 5 emigrations from France to the U.S., is located a few miles north of Colmar near the border with Germany. It was leveled in fighting during the Second World War and has been completely reconstructed. Many residents consider themselves Alsatian first and communicate in the Alsatian language when at home.

Here are transcriptions of selected articles from the booklet published by the village of Ostheim and available at the town hall. The booklet contains very interesting accounts of the war and village life in that era. Jean Barbaras died during the fighting and there are other Barbarases mentioned.

• Forward by Bernard Chasseuil
• "A Little History" by Paul Ostermann
• "Ostheim Before 1945: History of a Street" by Jean-Jacques Sturm