Good morning Cindy I have the surname Schmalz (Anna Elisabeth) that married my g-g-g-grandfather Hans Christoph Lipprandt about 1700 in or near the village of Großfahner, Herzogtum Sachsen-Koburg- Gotha. Her birth date was about 1670 (Anna Elisabeth). Herzogtum = Duchy, Sachsen-Koburg-Gotha was a duchy aligned with the province of Sachsen (Saxony). This area was also known as the Thüringen (Thueringen) Territories and today known as Provinz Thüringen. Großfahner is located North of Gotha in present day Thüringen. I don't think Schmalz was that common (but been proven wrong many times!!) so this may open a door for you. Check on Google and you can gather more information of this particular area (Herzogtum Sachsen-Koburg-Gotha). Regards, Robert Lipprandt (South Florida) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Subject: [GERMANS-WI] WI - German Surnames> Schmalz > I am researching the surnames of REMMEL, SCHMALZ AND ODERMANN. Not sure > where in Germany they came from. Also not sure where to begin to start > looking. > Any help would be appreciated. > Cindy (Remmel) DeWitt > Diggn4mykin@aol.com >