Dear Mary Sue, Many thanks for the Carstens information. I think it is the right family. I think an "n" could certainly be misinterpreted as a "u" when looking at cursive writing. And you've given me a new name to look for. A. W. is the husband of my Wurster, Alexander is his father, but who is Diedrick? A son maybe, or a brother? I already knew that A. W. was a blacksmith, so it makes sense that his father was too and maybe his son as well. I'll have to get to work on Diedrick right away. So I thank you very much. Sharon