I noticed that even very educated people are not aware of European history and what actually happened in the so called "Sudetenland". And incidentally, "Sudetenland" is a collective name that was given to our Austrian people living in the former Czechoslovakia and stands for all German speaking people living in Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia. Below is an excerpt of our Austrian Bohemian History. I have noticed by the questions asked that this part of history is somehow bypassed by most people although Karen has clued you in time and again. Remember, that we German Bohemians are Austrians! Austrians speak German! And, in fact, WE Bohemian Germans speak Austrian and several dialects thereof! In all correctness our society based on the people who settled here in America in 1800 should actually have been called the "Austrian Bohemian Heritage Society" because that is what they were. At least it would have given us all a better location to start looking in Austria for them instead of Germany. However, lets remember that they "became" Germans (like all Austrians did) with Hitlers occupation of the land in 1938 and due to the expellation of our Sudetengerman Group to Germany in 1946. Our "German Bohemian" descendants are now German citizens, just like others of us have become Canadian, US, Brazilian, Chilean, Peruvian, etc. citizen. So read the text below, I shortened it to essentials. And please remember this in your genealogical searches and that all records were kept in German in the German areas and all records were kept in Czech in the Czech areas. Aida "The Sudeten Germans were forced in the years 1918/19 against their will to become part of the newly created Czechoslovakia. There followed a break by the new Czechoslovak regime in the promise given by the Allied that the Germans in this new Republic would have self-determination and legal rights outlined in 14 points presented by president Wilson before the Council at St. Germain. When it became clear that these 14 points were not adapted by the new Czechoslovakian Republic, German people demonstrated peacefully in all cities against this transgression of their rights and sent their representatives to Prague. On March 4, 1919, 54 Germans were shot by Czech military and several hundreds were wounded, when they demonstrated for their right of self-determination." It was then that the Sudetengerman people started to look across the border.