Good morning M. do you have a given name too? In the film "Houseboat" with Sofia Loren you find the term shortcut and later the term shortcutting the shortcut. With your e-mail you may have saved 1 and one half seconds you can use for other things!! The name ORTZ is registered 30 times in the German Phone Guide, compareable with the "Switchboard" in USA. It should be the best when you try to trace backwards to find the orign of the family of your husband. If you want I send a copy of the guide print to you. Than you can write to one or two persons in Germany and ask who is doing the family research in their family. The family researchers in Germany are mostly oldfashioned people and they want to learn who is on the other side of the line. The pity is that a reverse help is extremely seldom but happens. Awaiting your answer. Best wishes Hans Hartmut Schuessler Diplom Ingenieur + Familiengeschichtsforscher (Hobby Researcher) Sudetenstrasse 22 D-65239 Hochheim am Main Familienarchive Schuessler und Veerhoff Familienarchive Staehler und Wurmbach 06146 - 4183 0172 - 8032648