From: "Patricia A. LeBeau" <[email protected]> Where would emigrants from Schwarzburg-Sondershausen have gone to take a ship to America circa 1850? This is now part of Thuringia but was once an independent principality. Any help appreciated. Patricia LeBeau, stonewalled ancestor seeker Hi, it is difficult to tell which port they would have gone to. Hamburg, Brema, also Netherlands... I know also about cases in which they went to England to get the passage. There is no rule or probability to be established. Yes, Schwarzenburg-Sondershausen was a kind of principality direktly under the emperor, i.e. not a free principality (like Monacco or Luxembourg today!). It was part of the German empire and part of the Fraenkischer Reichskreis. From the end of the 18th century, secularization and mediatization began. I.e. regions of prince bishops and monasteries became part of 'middle-states' and little 'Freiherrschaften' (= Baronships) became subject to the princes of middle states, like Bavaria, Wuerttemberg... In the following 8 years, the Frankish conglomerate of mini-states bekame cleard up. Thuringia was founded only 1920 out of several Saxon principalities and the Reuss principalities. Only, Saxe-Coburg went to Bavaria after a poll. That's it so far... ciao Bernd ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com