>From Dieter: << I phoned today once more to the local administration of Groß-Bützin. Unfortunately they did not find anything. No tracks of Ernst Witt. Indeed they don't have there any really old documents, only books which lead back to 1945. Today there is no family named Witt, which one could contact. >> --> It was a good thought though - and I appreciate you trying them. << In the afternoon I visited one of these genealogical research centers of the Mormons. An expert there has a lot of bibliofilms with all Prussian place-names. Even groups of 5 houses are recorded. Result: No Groß-Bützin in whole former Prussia. Well, I believe now, that in all likelihood this Groß-Bützin near Teterow _is_ the wanted place, though it does not lie in Prussia, but in Mecklenburg. >> --> Yes, this seems the most likely. I will check the microfiche at the FHC (Morman Family History Center) - to see what lutheran parish name I need for this town - then order the microfilm(s) of the church records. (and of course, hope I find my Ernst WITT and family...). I'm thinking that I might also check the 1867 Mecklenburg-Schwerin census also. (the 1819 one would be too early for what I currently know about this family) << Azelshof seems to be Axelshof near Demmin in Vorpommern (12°52' east, 53°46' north). That is Prussia. Both places are 30 km away of each other. >> --> Again, I agree - this is certainly the town I am looking for - or at least, the first place to investigate for Krueger records. (Looks like this weekend would be a good time to schedule a visit to the local Family History Center!) I must also go back to my maps again and look at the 1850's timeframe to see exactly where this Axelshof is. I'm right now looking at a map of the German Empire of 1871-1918 so that won't help. Need to look at an earlier map (1850s) to see what "entity" this town belonged to - then. You said "Vorpommern". I thought today's Mecklenburg-Vorpommern was yesterday's Mecklenburg-Schwerin duchy. But you also said Prussia - but close to the town in MS. Maybe "just over the line" and in _____??? in Prussia. Like I said, time to check the maps of the 1850s. A general comment: I've been doing some reading about what was happening in what is now Germany in the 1840s, 1850s and 1860s - just prior to Bismark. The ancestor who travelled from there to America would have been growing up inthe 1850s and 1860s - and sailed in the late 1870s. So, would like to try to "understand" what it was like then. The politics. The economics. The Zollverein or "customs union" of 1834. All while trying to understand where the physical boundaries were! So much to learn. So little time! (Sorry, I am taking up space here... I will close this message with a strong "thank you" and move along on researching....) Sometimes I think the "process" of how we go about doing our research is as important to share as the actual "results". Thanks for reading.... debbie