Dear Thomas, I will use English this time; maybe my German is not so good. I searched for Herrmann in New York passenger lists for 1862 and found only these two possibilities: on ship Helvetia from Bremen, arrived New York, 29 April 1862 C. Herrmann, male, age 40, occupation baker on ship Hammonia from Hamburg (via England), arrived New York, 6 May 1862 Chs Herrmann, male, age 30 There may be something under a different spelling. By the way, was Clemens Herrmann born in 1841 or 1814. Your note said 1841 but that would make him only 13 when he married Johanne and very much younger than she. I have no luck so far finding Herrmann in Iowa census records for 1870 or 1880. There are some, but no match with given name or age. I will keep looking. My own great grandmother came from Germany to Waterloo in 1861. Her parents were Peter Salz and Anna Katherina Steimel. Peter was born in Hoppengarten (13 Feb 1818). Can you tell me where Hoppengarten is in modern Germany? If your Clemens Herrmann came to Waterloo and was Catholic he might have known my great great grandparents. Yours sincerely, Kevin Kelly Columbia, MO