Hello everyone, I am in need of some help... I have two lines of family who immigrated to America in the 1870s and 1880s. >From New York, USA church records, I know the town names. However, I "think" I'm now pointed towards Thuringia - but want to verify that my thinking is valid. 1) Ernst WITT -- Says he was born in Gross Buetzin, Prussia. I looked and found such a town name in Mecklenburg-Schwerin area. Thought to now order parish records, etc from FHC. However - then I found in his wife's record: 2) Maria KRUEGER -- born in Azelshof, Prussia Couldn't find such a place. Then switched to a different mapping program - (http://maps.excite.com) - and suddenly there it was on my screen - in the "middle" of what is now Germany. However, didn't know what "province" that was - just what cities and towns it was near! Now: Found "another" Gross Buetzin - that looks to be about 5 miles or so from this Azelshof. These two lines (WITT and KRUEGER) intermarried - not sure which side of the ocean - but it would make sense that the towns/villages would be close to each other. Family lore is that they knew each other "before" coming to America. Don't know how accurate that is... So: looked at more maps yesterday and today. Both towns appear to be small and in the western part of "Thuringia". Interesting that this list just started discussing Thuringia too. (See Dieter's comments below about the duchies, etc that "made up" Thuringia). Questions: 1) Do I have it right - and should be looking in this geographical area for Gross Buetzin and Azelshof? Is the right answer likely "Thuringia"??? 2) If so, and given Dieter's comments (see below), how do I determine what part of Thuringia this is for the 1815 - 1880 timeframe? I can't tell anything other than both villages are at the western part - close to Hessian border. 3) New area for me. Just as I read up on Mecklenburg-Schwerin for my SCHMIDT, OEHMICH, MARTENS, FINZ lines - where should I read up on Thuringia - that looks to be sitting right in the middle of Germany? 4) From the descriptions of all the mailing lists, it seemed like "this" is the right one. Hope that's true! Any guidelines or observations much appreciated! I am in the confederation timeframe? Looking for births for my two great-grandparents: Ernst WITT (8 Oct 1854) / Gross Buetzin and Mary (Maria) KRUEGER (31 May 1859) / Azelshof (and the family says her father Christian Frederick Carl KRUEGER was born on 23 Apr 1824) debbie In a message dated 9/26/99 6:38:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [email protected] writes: << The state of Thuringia has been refounded 1920, the time before it was divided in 8 fully independed duchies and principalities: Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach Sachsen-Koburg-Gotha Schwarzburg-Sondershausen Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt Sachsen-Meiningen Sachsen-Altenburg Reuss juengere Linie Reuss aeltere Linie >>