I am researching the Oest family. John George Oest b. abt 1725 arrived in the US from Rotterdam via Cowes on the ship Sandwich in November 30 1850. I have found no documents stating the town he immigrated from. When I look into other Oests born about the same time, they are all from the areas of Bavaria and Wurttemberg. I have checked films of the same towns/areas and found nothing. The Oests coming from the 1800s seem to all be from Northern Germany and Denmark. By 1800 they are all over Germany. I would appreciate any ideas or thoughts on what direction to proceed in to find his place of birth. So far I have found the name as mainly Oest or ACe , Ost, Ase, Effs, Ese, Est. Does anyone know if Oster is a variation of the name?