kenlampel@yahoo.com writes: << Ok I found out that the country of origin listed on a manifest for Leonhard Lampel in 1879 was Wurttemberg. Was this a seperate country around that timeframe? I know it is a "state" of Germany now. I check a few maps around 1871 and it looks like Alsace Lorrane was part of Wurttemberg until WW1. I guess I have to find the EXACT town he was born in order to find a birth certificate. I have a marraige cert from New York with him and his wife Emma Strobel but it doesn't state what town he was from in Germany. He does not exist in any census records here in the US so does anyone have any clues on where I can look in the US for his original town he was from? >> In a message dated September 10, 2008, 6:30 PM, I wrote: << The ship HERDER left Hamburg 15 Oct 1879 (www.castlegarden.org says that the ship arrived at New York 29 Oct 1879). According to the original passengerlist (with printed text in German language) taken in Hamburg, Leonhard LAMPEL 26 years old was from Nürnberg (Germany).>> ++++++++++++++++ Hi Ken, According to the passenger list, Leonhard LAMPEL was born about 1853 in Nürnberg (Germany). There are << Emigration records>> for Nürnberg (Bavaria, Germany) available on microfilm at your FHC: "Auswanderungsakten 1811-1871". These are numbered packets of papers, but some packets are missing. Each packet begins with a number in the upper left hand corner of the first page. They are generally in alphabetical order; however, every alphabetical sequence of surnames has papers from other surnames. The packets are in German and generally handwritten in Gothic script. For the surname Lampel, try the film <<Familiennamen "L"-"M" - FHL INTL Film [ 1608390 ] >> You can also contact the city hall of Nürnberg by phone or by fax: Standesamt Nürnberg Hauptmarkt 18 90403 Nürnberg Phone: (+49)911.231.8514 Telefax: (+49)911.231.5711 and online at : http://www.nuernberg.de/internet/standesamt/urkundenausstellung.html (click on "Online Service") Good luck with your search Ewald