Seeking information on the following: George GEBHART or GEBHARDT b ca 1805 Silberhausen, Thuringia (then Saxony) married Mary Ann (Maria Anna) b abt 1811 had 9 children and all moved to Iowa, US about 1800 John Henry ZIEGENFUSS born Duesseldorf, Germany 1817 married Eleanora (Leanore) SAUNDERS Silberhausen kries, Muehlhausen had 2 children at Muehlhausen, and emigrated to Iowa, US June 02, 1857. Thank you for your help. Nicki Harper

Does anyone know where Staudrum is in Germany? Thanks Barb

I think the Hessian website has some archives listed. The site is "http://www.go.to/Hessen". Al Toennies Bernardsville. N.J.

John Albertini wrote: > Ludwig STETTNER emigrated in 1866 from Rappenau, Sinsheim, Baden. > The only Rappenau on ShtetlSeeker is about 110K NE of > Stuttgart and about 40K W of Nurnberg (between Schussbach > and Obernzenn). The only Sinsheim is between Heidelberg > and Pforzheim about 50K NNW of Stuttgart. Is this the right > place? Cannot control the geographic coordinates in this moment. But it seems to be clear: Sinsheim and (Bad) Rappenau are close together and both are in Baden. You find them just between Heidelberg and Heilbronn. > Someone on the B-W list said Rappenau is wrong, what > I really need is Bad Rappenau which is near Sinsheim. Which > is correct? The prefix "Bad" (= bath) only means, that they are officially accepted as a therapeutic bath. Rappenau or Bad Rappenau is the same for me. It's only important for the tourist image and for the local business world. And by the way: In 1866 the name was simply Rappenau. > I have a Louis STETTNER and understand that Ludwig > translates as Louis. May be he was called Louis in Germany, too. > Any other ideas on how I should proceed? Is there more info > in the BEI than what I got from ancestry.com's search? I think it is time to look into the parish registers. * Dieter

Hello, My husband's family QUENZEL came from the Saxon Weimar area of Germany. We are planning a trip to Germany and want to visit many of the various archives like the German Genealogy Center in Leipzig. I can not seem to find e-mail addresses for libraries and archives. Does anyone know where I might find this information? Donna & George from Cape Cod

Sue Plunkett in rainy Pennsylvania wrote: > Hi Dieter - If a person were born in Germany in 1844 and was named Wilhelm. > Do you know what the american version of Wilhelm might be. Would it be > William? Yes > Do you know if the name Wilhelmine is a boys name or a girls name or if it is > just a mispelled Wilhelm? It is the female variation of Wilhelm. * Dieter

Dotty in Sunny Florida wrote: > It has been my experience that many folk are realy just beginners with the > internet and someone suggests joining some list or other and they do that. > When I joined the Denmark list several months ago, I got slammed a few times > for asking what I thought were good questions. Oldtimers on the list > mistook my questions for requests for others to do my legwork for me. I > simply did not realize what was out there for me to use on my own. Now that > I have been subscribed to several lists for a few months, I know that > newcomers ask the questions that have been answered by the oldtimes over and > over again. But that is the way of lists. Dotty, you are right. My answer to Judy was a little testy. * Dieter

Hi Dieter and all, Just found who I believe to be my gg grandfather in the BEI (record #64380) from ancestry.com: Ludwig STETTNER emigrated in 1866 from Rappenau, Sinsheim, Baden. The only Rappenau on ShtetlSeeker is about 110K NE of Stuttgart and about 40K W of Nurnberg (between Schussbach and Obernzenn). The only Sinsheim is between Heidelberg and Pforzheim about 50K NNW of Stuttgart. Is this the right place? Someone on the B-W list said Rappenau is wrong, what I really need is Bad Rappenau which is near Sinsheim. Which is correct? I have a Louis STETTNER and understand that Ludwig translates as Louis. My Louis married Anna Marg. REUPER and they had a daughter in 1872 or 73 in America. I don't know whether they married in Germany or America. Anna was not on the BEI. I have checked passenger lists without success but found the LDS film numbers for Rappenau. Any other ideas on how I should proceed? Is there more info in the BEI than what I got from ancestry.com's search? Thanks for any help. John

Don's web site is excellent. It jump-started my German research and I refer to it again and again. If you haven't been there, please do so by all means. http://users.rootsweb.com/~deuhes/Hessen/index.htm

I read these comments on the "German Kingdoms" list: > It has been my experience that many folk are really just > beginners with the internet and someone suggests joining > some list or other and they do that. When I joined the > Denmark list several months ago, I got slammed a few times > for asking what I thought were good questions. and > There is a mailing list called > GEN-NEWBIE-L-request@rootsweb.com. > This is great for finding out the protocol on the lists. > We were all newbies once, and made many mistakes. > I too have been the victim of "flames". We need to > all be tolerant of newbies and try to distinguish > between people making off the wall requests, vs. just > not knowing. It is hard to determine this. This is precisely the reason I created the GermanyGenWeb site http://users.rootsweb.com/~deuhes/Hessen/index.htm three years ago. I took questions that had been asked and answered a zillion times and built a database (website) with 18 zillion answers. Our Welcome Message and Follow-Up Message, "Some Helpful Tips," point the new subscriber straight to the website. They are urged to go there first, study all that is available (history, maps, boundaries, towns, and so much more) BEFORE asking questions on the Hesse mailing list. This procedure has virtually eliminated arguments, debates, flame wars, and questions which aggravate the oldtimers and those around the world who must pay for every second they are online. In fact, we call our website, mailing list, and query board "teaching" instruments. But note that ANYONE can ask ANY question on the Hesse mailing list as long as it deals with genealogy in Hessen, and post on the query board as long as it involves Hessen. They may be directed right back to the website, but that is where the gold-mine of information is located. At the website we have a special Technical Support link, computer problems link, chatrooms (2), so that the mailing list itself is not tied down with these type questions and "visiting". (The Hesse list Moderator has zero tolerance for "slamming." He handles it privately, however, unless stuff gets totally out-of-hand). Researchers seeking information in all 16 German states can use the GermanyGenWeb-Hessen site as a primary research tool. And it provides links to all 16 German states, and all Rootsweb mailing lists concerning Germany - and many other countries in Europe. "Relentless Pursuit" and "Never Give Up" are our mottos. Our Hessen researchers get their questions answered first, of course. But we have three experts listed on the Hessen website home page who can answer most questions, and we are searching for others who _know_ what they are doing in Germany and are willing to volunteer their time. Visit our website, but don't abandon your list. The Hesse mailing list is for Hessen. You can, however, make this one happy family by sharing warmth and hospitality wherever you go! ;~) Don Watson, List Owner, Hesse-L (where no question is dumb or stupid and no one needs to be afraid to ask), and WebMaster, GermanyGenWeb-Hessen, http://go.to/Hessen

There is a mailing list called GEN-NEWBIE-L-request@rootsweb.com. This is great for finding out the protocol on the lists. We were all newbies once, and made many mistakes. I too have been the victim of "flames". We need to all be tolerant of newbies and try to distinguish between people making off the wall requests, vs. just not knowing. It is hard to determine this. Happy trails...Arlene in CA -----Original Message----- From: Dieter Taube <Dieter.Taube@t-online.de> To: GERMAN-KINGDOMS-L@rootsweb.com <GERMAN-KINGDOMS-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 4:51 PM Subject: Re: [GERMANKING] Informations about Magdeburg >Dotty in Sunny Florida wrote: > >> It has been my experience that many folk are realy just beginners with the >> internet and someone suggests joining some list or other and they do that. >> When I joined the Denmark list several months ago, I got slammed a few times >> for asking what I thought were good questions. Oldtimers on the list >> mistook my questions for requests for others to do my legwork for me. I >> simply did not realize what was out there for me to use on my own. Now that >> I have been subscribed to several lists for a few months, I know that >> newcomers ask the questions that have been answered by the oldtimes over and >> over again. But that is the way of lists. > >Dotty, you are right. My answer to Judy was a little testy. > >* Dieter > > > >==== GERMAN-KINGDOMS Mailing List ==== >Subscribers: >Can you spare $10 dollars to support Rootsweb? >http://www.rootsweb.com/rootsweb/how-to-subscribe.html >

Hello. My name is Jewli Cosentino and I am very new to this. I am looking for my grandfather, but all that I have is his name (Ivan Becker) and I'm not quite sure on the spelling. I know that that he lived in Germany, he was in Yugoslavia with the military during WWII, stayed a couple years after the war, and that he should be about 70 years old right now. Where do I start? I don't speak any german, so it's not been easy to try to track his military records. Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you, J. Cosentino

Judy Torp wrote: > Not quite the title above- but do you know anything about Magdeburg Germany. Anything ? Of course I do. > My daughter will be attending a festival there June 9-11, 2000- her ballet > school ( in London, England) is performing. Couldn't find anything on web > except hotels. thanks for any info you may have. Sorry, that's your task. Some efficient German search engines are http://meta.rrzn.uni-hannover.de/ http://www.fireball.de/ http://altavista.de/ http://www.yahoo.de http://www.acoon.de/ and the most promising idea surely would be to purchase one of these printed guidebooks. > My family name is Reuss- we just can't > find out where my great grandfather left Germany from, born at etc... just > know his parents name and when he came to USA but not where. Never met him or > my grandfather- his son.- none of the grandchildren know anything > eithre.Still searching. I saw many good hints how to start on Don Watson's wonderful Hesse site: http://users.rootsweb.com/~deuhes/Hessen/index.htm * Dieter

Hi! I am new to this list. I know very little German (only a few phrases passed down from my gr-grandfather), but would like to know more about my gr-gr grandparents homeland. German immigrant, Johann Trust (b. 1826 & name pronounced and eventually changed to Trost), was a tailor & family legend has it the family members were tailors for royalty. He was born in Stoffen (sp?), Mechlinberg-Strelitz. I have not been able to find a Stoffen so believe that it must have been spelled differently or Americanized at one time; can anyone help me w/ this? Johann's parents were Mary & Jacob Trust; although he was Lutheran, somewhere in line he was of Jewish descent. In Cincinnati, I found a group of Jewish Trosts during same era, but don't know if there's a connection. Johann's wife, Wilhelmina Gransen (b. 1822), was from Mechlinberg-Schwerin. Her mother Mary (maiden name unknown); her father is unknown. Mother married a Frederick Anders. Both Mary (b. 1797) & Frederick (b.abt. 1803) Anders immigrated to US about 1850. I've had no luck in finding roots of Gransen name. Can anyone help me w/ that? All settled in Columbus, Ohio area in a town called Canal Winchester, OH (Franklin or Fairfield Counties depending on year). 2nd generation (Eli [b. 1855], John [originally Johann b. 1842], and Edward Trust/Trost [b. 1860] moved to Champaign Co., IL area. Doss, Anders 2nd generation cousins also moved to IL. There was an August and Carl Trust/Trost who lived & died in Cleveland. Danke (sp?), Diane Mahoney, Baltimore, MD

In response to: "As to the IGI, I believe that is just a collection of various things people have sent to the LDS, so it is filled with all kinds of mistakes, includin dates, and even names. Some folks are careful about the data they collect, and some are not." Although the "Ancestral File" is extremely unreliable, and full of unsubstantiated guesswork, the IGI is mostly composed of transcriptions of original church records, and is generally reliable. There are errors of course, and the transcripts should be verified by reading the originals, of which microfilm copies are available through the LDS. Recently the integrity of the IGI has been compromised, however, by "entries of birth" surmised from marriage entries. Perhaps the rule is to subtract 25 years from the date of marriage, for an approximation of the couple's birth year. This is clearly marked as an approximation, and relatively harmless, but the dummy birth entry also gives the place of marriage as the PLACE of birth. This is misleading, in my opinion. People moved a lot in the past, just as today, to excape unpleasant and forgettable conditions. Dummy birth entries also do not allow for occasional changes in surname, after moving and assuming a new role in a new community.

I have some comments to this message. My aunt in Portugal told me once that the birthdate of one of her employees on the birth certificate and the one he told her were somewhat different. When she questioned him, he had a ready answer. They have the rule that a birth must be registered within a certain time frame. If the parents don't get around to it for a while, they just change the date to fit into this time frame. In this case official records and family records would differ. Just my 2 cents worth to this subject. Ines ----- Original Message ----- From: peter wilson <pmwilson@uswest.net> To: <GERMAN-KINGDOMS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, May 23, 2000 3:14 AM Subject: [GERMANKING] Integrity of IGI > In response to: > > "As to the IGI, I believe that is just a collection of various things > people have sent to the LDS, so it is filled with all kinds of mistakes, > includin dates, and even names. Some folks are careful about the data > they collect, and some are not." > snip

LTBoehmke@aol.com wrote: > As to the IGI, I believe that is just a collection of various things people > have sent to the LDS, so it is filled with all kinds of mistakes, including > dates, and even names. Some folks are careful about the data they collect, > and some are not. You are right, of course. That's the internet: You find many things, but you never know if the data are correct or wrong. * Dieter

Joan Hawkins wrote: > We have been researching the old Saxon Duchies also and did find the ancestor > we were looking for--Johan Heinrich Wilhelm Siegfried, from Mehrstadt in > Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt. I think you mean Mehrstedt. > What made this more interesting was that Mehrstadt > and its neighboring city Schlothiem were part of Rudolstadt although they > were located quite close to Sonderhausen and all of the surrounding villages > were in the Sonderhausen section. The Thuringian states were no compact territories, but systems of mainlands, exclaves and enclaves. It's all very easy to understand - if you have good maps. > We were lucky and found a death record in > Rudolstadt that indicated his home town, parents and birthdate. Wonderful, congratulations. > We would like to know a bit more about the Duchy of Schwarzburg. Very little > is written about it. Was the allegiance to one particular section of Schw. > very important. How did they get so mixed up. > Could someone shed some light on the history of these Duchies. Thank you > Joan Hawkins, Clearwater Fl. I dont't know any sources in English language. But America has the best written specialized literature in the world, perhaps anyone here in the list will know a good book. Another list member, Andre Schmidt from Leipzig some weeks ago wrote a mail about the historical geography of Thuringia: ---------------------------------------------->8 snip ------------------- There where different regions under the rule of the kings of Saxony. In the 16th century this where splitted to the two sons of the king. One of them become again the king of Saxony (in the Kingdom of Saxony, the todays Bundesland Sachsen), the other got regions in Thuringia. This thuringian area was later splittet again and again and again ... To name this splits they become the name Sachsen-xy, as Sachsen-Coburg, Sachsen-Gotha, Sachsen-Altenburg ... After marriage for instance, regions also "reunite" to - for instance Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha. (A Duchestry). So if you look for the Kingdom of Saxony look at "Sachsen", for the others at "Thueringen". Note: There is also a Sachsen-Anhalt (Former "Prussian Province of Saxony" - After 1560 seperated from Saxony) and Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) what has exept the name nothing to do with Saxony. (Stop! Wrong! Parts of Lower Saxony - Friesland - where given to the King of Saxony by the German Emporer after the 30-years-war to pay him hes expenses. But after 3 years the King of Saxony sold Friesland ...) Andre Schmidt andre@informatik.uni-leipzig.de ---------------------------------------------->8 snap ------------------- * Dieter

Researching Hermann KNOCH born about 14 June 1804 in "Saxe-Weimar". Place of birth is taken from 1860 census of Ross county, Ohio, USA. Hermann married Maria GOLTOIA/GALTAIRE in Ross co Ohio in September of 1840, so he was in the US by then, but I don't know when he arrived. Besides the obvious questions, who were his parents, when did he come to America,etc, I am trying to decipher the name of one of his children. Listed in the family Bible record, it looks like "Lefien". Census records lists this child as male, name there looks like "Senfien" or "Senfean". Does anyone have any clue what this name could be, either in German or the "American" translation? Also, any advice about how to find what churches are/were in "Saxe-Weimar" around 1804 or where to look for a record of Hermann's birth? I would love to hear from anyone else researching the KNOCH surname. Is this a rather common name in Germany? Lorena KNOCH

Hello I just found out from the Hamberg emigration list that my great great grandfather came from Dallberg Preussen. I assume that this may be Dalberg-Wendelstorf in Mecklenburg. Does anyone have information on this city? Thank you, CHS