Re: "I thought I had heard that during the 1800's when a person wanted to move from a particular town, they had to get permission from the Mayor to do so. Does anyone know if this is so and secondly was a record of this move kept at the town hall?" Requiring official permission to leave was long-standing policy in Germanic areas, particularly the Palatine Electorate, and often a fee was imposed. (Fees would be waived for the poor and other undesirables.) But it was typically the town council who decided as a body, not the Mayor alone; a record was kept as part of official minutes. I believe the procedure was called "manumission". There was a 1700s instance of a Palatine family whose son left for America, without permission, apparently to avoid military conscription. The family was fined to the extent of all their possessions. Speaking of conscription, Germanic areas also had the practice of registering males for the draft at birth. (It made the boys easier to find when they reached military age.) Even if your ancestor didn't serve in the military, his birth might be in those records. Also required was permission to take up residence in the town. Just passing through required a police permit and payment of another fee. In other words, "Show me your papers!" had real meaning. -rt_/)