Hello Fred, I thank you very much for all of your helpful advice and kind messages! I think I have a much better idea now of how to proceed with my research. Many thanks again for your time and help! Best regards, Rebecca Olenchak << Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:21:01 -0600 From: Fred H Held <fhheld@netzero.net> Subject: Re: [BW] Russ family of Stuttgart, 19th century To: baden-wurttemberg@rootsweb.com, Rebecca Olenchak <niamh343@earthlink.net> Message-ID: <AABE3FZUUAR2WQ9J@smtpout02.dca.untd.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed Rebecca, For years we were told that my family came from Stuttgart. After many years (and much research) it was found that they were really from a village about 15 miles away. (Note: There are over 500 villages within 15 miles of Stuttgart.) A single woman of that age should have applied for and received emigration papers (required by the Kingdom of W?rtemberg). If she did, there would be a record in the W?rtemberg Emigration Index, by Trudy Schenk and Ruth Froelke. These data are also digitized and on Ancestry.com ($). These data give the home village of the appliers. The Emigration from Southwest-Germany (Auswanderung aus S?dwestdeutschland) database shows only one Bertha RUSS/RU?, however she emigrated in 1857 and she was from Ulm. There are 2 Berta RUSS/RUESSs in the LDS IGI Files at FamilySearch born in years 1872+/-2. Both are baptized in Stuttgart, but both are the children of David RUSS and Marie BREINING. (And since a death date is listed for the later, aparrently both died.) BTW, the 1900 US census states your Bertha was born May 1871. The 1900 census also shows the immigration year, but it is on the last line on the page and is unreadable (it looks like it might be 1892). The 1910 census states she immigrated in 1885 (also states her middle initial is "L"). The 1920 census states she immigrated in 1886 and was naturalized in 1894 (naturalization records should be available in Scranton, application should give home village). >>