Thanks, Doris. I now see there are two Oppershausen and the one I want is the one you indicate by Celle near Hanover. On my reference to Puritz, Pompen, did you actually locate this place in Poland? The writing is probably by a German-born minister in Illinois. As I said, the Pompen was my estimate, but I do not believe the p was a double s, right? In the 1880 US census, this man declared himself to be from Prussia. I am not sure what that meant since he had come to America in 1860. Might "Pompen" have been part of Prussia in 1860? Thanks, Bart