Can anyone tell me how to do research of finding my great grandfather and his parents that supposedly were from Sonderhausen? I have found other family members from the 1800's on the Internet and they are in the area's of Gotha, Sonderhausen and Menteroda. It was only ever said that our family was from Sonderhausen. I am told his name was August Karl Rauch and that his parents names were Louise Kleemann and a Fredrick Rauch. Karl was said to have deserted the German Army at age 21, he was maybe born in 1864. I was also told he did receive a pardon from Kaiser Wilhelm. I just don't know where to go, I thought I was on a roll finding my Rauch's and Fritsch's, but it just stops with him. He married in the United States, but her parents were found in Germany with their first two children. Karl's wife's name was Martha Mathilda Fritsch. I am enjoying learning about Germany, can anyone make my enjoyment any greater?