Dorothy, Thanks to your hint about Hollfeld, I was able to find your Höfen/Hoefen (Postal code 96142) among more than 20 others on the online map. See http://makeashorterlink.com/?B3CD21255 A search of the phone book reveals 3 Nikol listings. Nikol Alfred (0 92 74) 5 70 Josef-Otto-Kolb-Str. 4, 96142 Hollfeld Nikol Hans (0 92 74) 13 65 Kainach 20, 96142 Hollfeld Nikol Herbert (0 92 74) 14 70 Höfen 16, 96142 Hollfeld Are these the ones that you wrote to? Did you write in German? If not, you should on this second try. Do you need help with translating? A hit there can give you a lot of information at little cost. A second possibility is to write to the Diocesan Archive in Bamberg for birth/baptism records. They charge for their services. For emigration records, look to the Staatsarchiv in Bamberg. They may have the emigration request documents. If you don't already have the contact information for them, let us know. Norm ----- Original Message ----- From: Dorothy J. Gard To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, July 19, 2003 10:37 AM Subject: [BAVARIA] NIKOL family in Hoefen I've been following all the letters concerning the Bamberg Archives and have decided to try again asking for help in finding a solution to my "brickwall", I am descended from Elizabeth NIKOL who according to the 1900 census came from Germany in1892. A sister Barbara definitely came through Baltimore in 1888 and one of her children said the father John NIKOL brought both girls and their brother over in 1888. The story goes that he returned home, wanted to bring the rest of the family over but his wife would not come so they stayed in Germany. The hometown was Hofen (with an umlaut) in Oberfranken between Bamberg and Bayreuth. They were Catholic and I believe went to church in Hollfeld. The sister said she was born in Hollfeld. Someone told me there were only 14 houses now in Hoefen and 2 Nikol names still existed. I wrote them several years ago but never received an answer. Now I'd like to start my search again. I did check some Hollfeld church records from Mormon film but couldn't find the names I was searching for (my German script reading is not that good). According to records here, Elizabeth was born in 1872 and died in PA in 1906 I have searched immigration records and found only Barbara in 1888 and her name was spelled Nichol. Can someone help me with how best to proceed? I will be so grateful. Dorothy J. Gard [email protected] Why Wait? Move to EarthLink. ==== BAVARIA Mailing List ==== Going on Vacation? Longer than 4 days? Go to http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/intl/DEU/BAVARIA.html to unsubscribe