Oscar Mayer Oscar Mayer The Oscar Mayer Company is an American meat and cold cut production company, owned by the American food company Kraft Heinz. It is known for its hot dogs, bologna, bacon, ham and Lunchables products. German immigrant Oscar F. Mayer (1859–1955), born in Kösingen, Germany, began working at a meat market in Detroit, Michigan, and later in Chicago, Illinois. In 1883, Mayer and his brother Gottfried leased the Kolling Meat Market on the near-northside of Chicago. The Mayer brothers sold bratwurst, liverwurst, and weißwurst which was popular in the predominantly German neighborhoods around their Chicago meat market. As the
Pennsylvania German language in more rural areas it continued in widespread use through the World War II era. Since that time, its use has greatly declined. The exception to this decline is in the context of the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite communities, and presently the members of these two groups make up the majority of Pennsylvania German speakers . The ancestors of Pennsylvania German speakers came from various parts of the southwest corner of the German-speaking region of Europe, mainly the Palatinate, but also including the Electoral Palatinate (), the Duchy of Baden, Swabia, Württemberg, Alsace (German ), German Lorraine,