Penny-- Actually, I was raised in Logan County, left for college and career, then returned to one county north of there -- McLean County -- when I retired last year. But that is close enough to make contact occasionally. My Aunt Ferne Irwin was a career schoolteacher who never married. After a stint at country schools, she moved to the Chicago suburbs and taught HS Home Economics. For a long time, she subscribed to the Lincoln Courier and regularly cut out obituaries and other items on all sorts of people. She compiled handwritten notes by family name which comprise over 25 spiral bound volumes that must average an inch thick. These were donated to the Lincoln Public Library after her death, copies were made, and the copies are available on the genealogy shelves for public use. I believe the original clippings and notes may also be in the library, but are in more fragile condition. In fact, I only learned of this resource recently. From my brief experience in looking at them, she has a wealth of information which can serve as a starting point for persons who like to assemble more formal proof documents. I know there are mistakes -- for example, she has mixed the offspring of Erhard Stoll, Jr. with those of Erhard Sr. But using her notes is better than starting with a clean slate!! Now to Roos family --- Her notes show a John Roos, born in Germany. I presume that is Johannes in your listing, married to a Mary Stoll. Their son, Christian Gottleib Roos (b 1870) married Anna Christina Rentschler. Six children: Richard J. Roos (1890-1974) married Mary Anne Christina Richner (1891-1985). Netta Roos married Rollie Walkin. Elmer M. Roos (1895-1971) married Florence Richner, daughter of Henry and Emma Stoll Richner. Herbert F. Roos (1896- ?) married Edith Barthel. Fern Roos married Walter Riddle and then John Hassebrock. Florence Roos married Oscar Frahlman. The listing showed the following siblings to Christian G. Roos: 2. J. Frederick Roos (1869-1954) married Elizabeth Wellhoff, producing a son, Leonard Edwin Roos (1910-1982), who had a son of his own, Frederick Roos (1954). 3. Carl Otto Roos (1872-1952) married Alvina A. Danner Leimbach. Her first husband was George "Mike" Leimbach (another common pioneer name in the Chestnut area) She had one child from each marriage --- Lucille Leimbach (m. Lee Cooper) and Charles Frederick Roos (m. Anna Hassebrock). 4. Ernest T. Roos (1875) married Anna Steffens and produced Pearl and Viola. He later married Lena Mueller Schaefer and adopted her daughter, Helen Schaefer. Helen married Harold Opperman. 5. George Roos married Emma Gehlbach, daughter of David and Barbara Gehlbach. They had 2 sons and a daughter. Florence Roos 1897-1976) married Vincent Dierker and had a son, Eldon. Harold Roos (1903-1986) married Rebecca Cross, producing 3 sons and a daughter: Hervil, Harold Dean, Marlin, and Melba. Wilbur Roos (1913-1986 married Florence Van Hook, progeny were Wilbur Jr. and Janice. 6. Katherine "Kate" Roos. No further information. 7. Mary Roos married Jacob Stoll (youngest son of Erhard and Mary Agnes Rentschler Stoll). They had 4 daughters and 2 sons. Fannie Stoll married Fred Schaffenacker, with daughters Lottie and Helen, who married Fred Awe. Lydia Stoll and Louis Stoll -- no information. Marie Stoll (1884-1979) married Richard Minder. Carrie Stoll (1885-1935) married Louis F. Leimbach - sons Clifford and Cleatus. Herman Stoll moved to California. Was married, but I do not have the names. Gave your name to their granddaughter, who is a librarian at UC Davis. Need to fill this gap. 8. Lena Roos (1880 - ?) married Louis Kusterer. (I see you have this family name in your memo). They had a daughter Clara who married Louis Schaefer and raised two daughters -- Mildred and Della. 9. Rose Roos No information. 10. John A. Roos (1890-1954) marrien Cora Andern and has a son Wilbur. ************************* Let me repeat that this is all the result of my aunt's hobby of tracking local families, based largely on information in the newspapers, and that she did the work from 140 miles away in a Chicago suburb. But it has proven to be generally correct and quite helpful. Penny, with your energy I fully expect that you will reassemble this cast back in Maisenbach, Germany, and trace them backward through a few more generations of intermarriage! Nor is it confined to the German Ancestry. I find that the Scots Irish Irwins came to the US from Ireland and settled down the road from the Robinsons, who were also their neighbors in County Tyrone. Took about 3 generations before marriages across nationality backgrounds became common. Cheerio!