Joanne, I knew the town my g grandfather Ludwig Grimm was from as I had a copy of his passport from 1849. After figuring out where the town was, I joined the Hesse list through Rootsweb and found out the parish, which was Bernsberg. The Family History Library (familysearch.org) has their catalog online, so you can search by location, scan down to church records, then be sure to view the film notes as these tell you what years they have along with what records, i.e., birth, baptism, etc. Once I did all that, I made a little trip over to Salt Lake City and spent two days at the library. I could have ordered the films through the local Family History Center, there are many all over the country, also listed at the website. But I don't read German, and while I was certain I would recognize the surname in the index films, once I retrieved the record would not know what I was looking at. That's where the amazing translators on the International floor of the library come in, they translate the record for you. The church records are amazing. Ludwig's birth record told what order in the family of children he was (fourth child, first son), his parents, the witness to the birth, his godfather, etc. His marriage record told his parents names, the bride's parents names, his occupation and the witnesses. Death records list spouses, parents, cause of death and so on. Quite informative! They even made a notation of when Ludwig and children left for America. So well worth the effort! Hope this helps! Susan In a message dated 9/9/06 9:43:44 AM, jcsmitty1212@yahoo.com writes: > Susan: >    >   Could you please tell me more about the church records in Hesse Darmstadt > you found? Where did you find them, and can you offer some tips on looking > for an ancestor once you've identified the province? >    >   I have an ancestor from that area as well. I believe he was probably > Lutheran. Is there an online source anywhere of Lutheran churches in HD? >    >   Sounds like you've made terrific progress. >    >   Joanne >