Hi all, In reading over what I wrote about my interest in blacksmiths, I realized I said my great-great-grandfather. I should have left out one great. His name was Frederick A. KALBITZ, born in Gebesee, a small town north of Erfurt, Germany. He apparently was a traveling blacksmith there, and made his way to Hamburg. Since great-grandma was from Hamburg, I assume that's where they met. They married, had 3 sons (all of whom died before the age of 3), and was active politically. That got him in trouble, as he was a Social Democrat at a time when that was forbidden, at least in his part of Germany. He was banned from Hamburg and its environs and sent back to Gebesee. There may have been more incidents, as the family story is that he left Germany one step ahead of the police. He made it to Chicago, where pregnant great-grandma joined him later in 1881, just in time to give birth to my grandmother. They had one more daughter. He died in 1927. His blacksmith shop was very near the center of the city. I know little of his work, but do know he was active in German groups, probably with men of his own political persuasion. Looking forward to learning more about the blacksmith trade. Lois