Not all of those records were destroyed. I found my key ones there in the early 1990s. But the card files were then a mess; I understand that they were later re-organized, and filmed by the LDS. Bob Doerr in the beautiful Missouri Ozarks ----- Original Message ----- From: <GKGATES@aol.com> To: <GERMANS-STLOUIS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2004 1:58 PM Subject: [Germans-STL] RE: Henry B.Kerkmann search > > RE: my grandfather, Henry Bernard Kerkmann, Stairbuilder, who came to > America in 1889. Born October 16, 1861; married to Marie Fathauer (Vatthauer) > November 19, 1891 in St. Louis, Missouri; Died March 29, 1917 in St. Louis, > Missouri. > > I have searched every document I can think of in the St. Louis area with no > success in finding my grandfather's town of origin in Germany. All the records > simply say "Germany." I've been at this for over then years. > > After no response from the Civil Courts where the naturalization records were > kept, I hired a professional researcher to go to the Courts Dept. to find > his naturalization papers. Disappointedly, she discovered that in 1980, the > person in charge at the Civil Courts Records Dept. decided they were in too much > of a mess and destroyed them all and kept just the Declaration index cards! > She did find his card which is dated 1895 and says "Germany." > > If anyone on the list has any book or source that he might be in, please > check for me. I also haven't been able to access any German newspapers, so I > would appreciate any help in that area....or any other ideas! > > Also important to know because it can be confusing - There is another Henry > J. Kerkmann, married to a Margarethe Schnaus who lived in St. Louis at the > about the same time. He is almost the same age as my grandfather (I did a search > on him, too) and there doesn't seem to be any connection to my Kerkmanns. > Also, my grandfather had a son named Henry, born in 1892. > > Thank you! > Glodean Gates > > > > > ==== GERMANS-STLOUIS Mailing List ==== > RootsWeb's mailing lists are filtered and attachments are removed. A virus that is distributed as an attachment will not reach you through a RootsWeb mailing list. For further information about Viruses, Trojans, Worms etc., go please to: http://helpdesk.rootsweb.com/virus.html. > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 > >