I thought I had sent your way, doesn't seem so. Fran ----- Original Message ----- From: Jerry and Fran Goertzen To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2011 2:42 PM Subject: Re: Your Family German-Vola History email of 03-0-02011 ----- Original Message ----- From: Jerry and Fran Goertzen To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 4:39 PM Subject: Your Family German-Vola History email of 03-0-02011 Nancy: If you want to know more about Matthias Nussbaum's origins in Germany and see if any family is still there, you have several options. The first, would be the most enjoyable. GO THERE. I see from the information you sent me, Matthias had a brother Johann that stayed in Saarburg. You have his children and grandchildren still in Saarburg. In fact, the last record you have is that grandson Wiljelm, born 1817 in Saarburg, died 1900 in Saarburg. So, the Nussbaum's lived in Saarburg from 1765, when Matthias left for Russia, to at least 1900 in the same village, my guess is that they are still there. Why not go there and neet your relatives. If nothing else, you can walk the streets your ancestors walked and see the area where they lived. It is a very historic area. The nearby town of Trier was the seat of government for the Holy Roman Empire at the time Matthias was there. You could fly into Frankfurt International Airport (like we did), (we rented a car at the airport, a mercedes which has a large trunk for 'two sisters who were shoppers' big time!) Trier is only 95 miles from Frankfurt as the crow flies. We stayed in Mainz on the Rhine River instead of congested Frankfurt, so we could get an early start in the morning. I would recommend taking the scenic route to Trier, it is only 125 miles. From Mainz, take the river road on the west side of the Rhine and head for Koblenz. That area of the Rhine has more castles per mile than anywhere in the world. We stayed at the Rhinefels castle where my father's ancestory may date back to the 1200's. It is above the small town of St Goar along the river. We had a room at the top overlooking St. Goar, the river boat traffic and two other castles on the east side of the river. When you get to Koblenz, go west along the Mosel River to Trier. There again take the river road, not the autobahn. There are also castles along the Mosel. When you get to Trier, take time to explore this ancient historic town. It is full of Roman Ruins. Trier was founded by Roman Emperor Augustus in 16 BC. In 1A.D. they built a collisium/amphitheatre and it became a Roman City. Emperor Constantine expanded the Roman influence by building the Porta Nigro (Black Tower), the Imperial Baths and the Roman Bridge which still stands over the Mosel. His Imperial Palace became the throne of the Emperor, all around 200 A.D. Trier is small enough you can take a walking tour of all the above sites. The Holy Roman Empire controlled the Germanic States until 1806 when Napolean dissolved it. Germany as we know it, didn't exist until 1871. From Trier, you go just 15 miles southwest and you are in Saarburg on the banks of the Saar River. Check the town phonebook and you will probably find a Nussbaum relative. I'm sure they would be glad to show you around. Saarburg had its own church parish so the records would be there. You could find more help translating them in Saarburg. They may even have a town historian. Your Orth/Ort ancestor also came from Saarburg. If you follow the Saar River south about 23 miles you arrive in Saarlouis, the ancestoral village of Marianna Bach (1771) who married Anton Nussbaum (1766). It's all so close when you are there and so scenic...take lots of film. When you are in Saarburg, the boundary of Alsace is only about 5 miles away. I found the village of your possible relative, Francoise Nusbaum. The village of Bourbach-le-Haut, Haut Rhin, Alsace is in the German Parish Guide (by Kevan Hansen) of Alsace-Lorriane book IV, Volumne 36. A check of these parish records could confirm her connection to your family. Another option, would be to purchase the Map Guide to German Parishes Vol 13 Province of Rhineland III by Kevan Hansen. It can be purchased from the publisher at < www.GermanMapGuide.com >. The soft bound book is only $35 plus shipping, so it won't break the bank. The book contains the Trier area and the Pfalz area. The first half of the book is on Trier. In the Trier index it shows the village of Saarburg and the Catholic parish information is on page 124 to 125. The book also has a short history of the area and the rulers back to 1100s. The book contains a list of Genealogical, State, City and church Archives with address and some emails and websites. Trier's website is < www.trier.de >. When you go to the Trier website, click on the British Flag (upper right) for an English version. Also go to Saar Mosel area...lots of pictures, maps and a satellite view of Saarburg. It even lists lineage books on towns and surnames. On page 19 is a lineage book (also CD) of the parish of St. Peters on the family Nussbaum. The last option is to contact a researcher in German and have him/her do the search but that could be costly. Let me know how you get on. Jerry Goertzen