Hello, I just subscribed to this list and thought I'd place a query to see if there is someone out there who researches this family, even though, I don't give it much hope... However, here it goes. I have an apprenticeship document of a Samuel BITNER which was passed down from my grandfather to my father. My father remembers that my grandfather told him that Samuel was his gr grandfather. As of today, I couldn't find out if this is the case. On Samuel's apprenticeship document, I found the following information: 1. Samuel was from Wladistawow, Poland. 2. Samuel learned the trade of a Smith in Warsaw on 29 Apr 1838 and ended it on 24 Apr 1843 3. From the dates on the document, I would place the date of birth around 1821. Samuel had a son, Hermann BITTNER. I don't know much about this Hermann. I received this information from family members. This Hermann also had a son Hermann. Hermann II was born on 04 Apr 1860 in Adammow, Poland and died aft 1943 in Halle/Saale, Germany. Hermann II was also a Smith and was married twice. He had at least one son with his first wife, which he named Hermann. Hermann II married second, Berta BRADACZ. She was born in Poland and her parents were weavers in Lodz, Poland. Hermann II and Berta had at least three children: Adolf BÜTTNER (my grandfather), b: 14 Jun 1901 in Lodz, Poland, d: 23 Jun 1976 in Halle/Saale, Germany. Frieda BÜTTNER, b: 29 Oct 1902 probably in Lodz, Poland. Otto BÜTTNER, b: 15 Dec 1906 pobably in Lodz, Poland, d: 1980 in Halle/Saale, Germany. These three children were named in the citizenship document when Hermann II and his wife immigrated to Germany which was dated 04 Nov 1920. If anybody is researching this family, or has BIT(T)NERs from Wladistawow, Adamow or Lodz, please contact me, Sylvia [email protected]