My Dad’s brother-in-law was from an Alsatian Family. His family spoke German, but their customs were so different from those who came elsewhere in Germany that my Dad always spoke of him as French. But Germany, a hundred years ago, was still largely a federation of many, very different communties. In fact, some say that the German-American communities, such as St: Louis, Cincinatti, and Milwaukee, and of course, San Antonio, were the first places where someone from Bavaria and Prussia came to think of themselves as A German. Toward the end of the Century, while Bismarck was trying to unfyy his new empire, the different Germanies were also being melded, family by family, into German-Americans.
Funny you should mention that, but on my 3 or 4 greats grandfather Etienne, the 1st to come to the US on his country of origin it say Empire of the Germans.